Spokane, WA is on the growing list of cities smaller than Rochester that are considering rail transit. The City of Spokane has a population of 195,000, and the metro region has a population of 418,000. While the population of the City of Spokane is only slightly smaller than the City of Rochester's, the City of Spokane includes a much larger percentage of the metro population than Rochester. Downtown Spokane has a considerably smaller feel than downtown Rochester.

This should help to counter the considerable and persistent misinformation in Rochester that Rochester is "too small" for rail transit. The recent Broad Street study alleges that prior transit studies concluded that Rochester lacked that population and density to support transit, despite the fact that all Rochester light rail studies have concluded that light rail was feasible under current conditions.

For those who are not familiar with Washington State geography, Spokane is far from the population centers on Washington's coast. It is a stand-alone city near the eastern border with Idaho. - DeWain Feller

Downtown Spokane might join Seattle as another Washington state city operating modern streetcars. The Seattle Times published this Associated Press story (full text): "Spokane Transit Authority looking at trolleys. The Associated Press.

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane Transit Authority is using $360,000 in federal and state grant money for a study of a possible trolley or streetcar system in downtown Spokane.

Chief Executive Susan Meyer told The Spokesman-Review the city could win federal transit grants for the system. The transit authority is talking with city officials about options for the consultant's study.

Meyer says there's a need for better transit connections in the downtown area, including Gonzaga University, hospitals, government buildings, the convention center and inner-city neighborhoods. Full Article at: http://tinyurl.com/ybwuc84

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Edward B. Havens
Tucson, Ariz.