SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane announced on Thursday that it was awarded a grant meant to aid in the improvement of public transportation.
The grant, called the Accelerated Mobility Playbook (AMP) Technical Assistance Grant, comes from a national non-profit called City Thread that seeks to provide cities with the means to connect communities through transportation.
“We are excited to welcome Spokane into our cohort of cities prioritizing mobility projects,” said Sara Studdard, a City Thread spokesperson. “We look forward to providing Spokane with the guidance and strategies needed to achieve its transportation goals faster than thought possible.”
The grant has a total value of $50,000 but is offset by a required $15,000 match from Spokane.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown says the grant and the City Thread program will help Spokane reach its transportation goals.
“We are hopeful that developing an Accelerated Mobility Playbook with City Thread will help us reach our goals of creating a community where access to services, education, and employment opportunities is available to everyone, regardless of mobility options,” Brown said.
City of Spokane spokesperson Erin Hut says that Mayor Brown's recent legislation on safe street infrastructure reflects the city's commitment to improved public transportation.
Hut outlines that the legislation seeks to prioritize pedestrian and bicycle safety in transportation investments while following the Spokane City Council’s unanimous approval of the “Janet Mann – Safe Streets Now” resolution, which outlines things like traffic calming, neighborhood improvements, pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure and a new transportation commission.
"Though the City has continually improved safety conditions for people walking and rolling, roadway collisions have been exacerbated by increasingly aggressive and distracted driving," said Public Works Director Marlene Feist. "The Accelerated Mobility Playbook grant’s goal of garnering broad-based community support for the implementation of multimodal infrastructure will further assist the City in meeting its goals.”
