pacific nw transportation consortium region 10 Pactrans

On June 18, 2025, fourteen participants gathered in downtown Spokane, Washington for the Field Course in Active Transportation Safety and Complete Streets Design instructed by transportation engineers, Chris Breiland and Marissa Milam, at Fehr & Peers. After a brief overview of key active transportation design concepts, the group hit the streets for a sunny walking tour of the city’s pedestrian, bike, and public transportation infrastructure projects that had been installed.

Attendees included representatives from the City of Spokane, Parametrix, Spokane Transit, Spokane Regional Transportation Council, WSDOT, as well as a Spokane AT advocate and columnist. The tour sparked lively, insightful discussions as participants shared knowledge from their various perspectives.

Following lunch, the group split into walking and biking teams to explore additional corridors. A common theme throughout the day was the challenge of retrofitting existing infrastructure to improve safety and accessibility for all users—while still accommodating vehicles and truck deliveries.

The bike group explored both new and retrofitted bridges to allow for safer pedestrian and bicycle crossings of both the river and railway tracks, and improved connectivity of the university district with downtown. The day concluded with a group reflection on key takeaways and opportunities for future improvements.