Erik Lowe

@eriklowe.bsky.social

373 Followers 297 Following

Co-Executive Director at SpokaneReimagined.org. https://linktr.ee/spokanereimagined

A series of news articles featuring commentary from, or profiles of, Spokane Reimagined, hosted on the spokanereimagined.org website.
Text reads: Good Afternoon, First, I want to express my thanks to interim Co-CEOs, Brandon Rapez-Betty and Karl Otterstrom, for their stewardship of Spokane Transit Authority over the last seven months. Your professionalism and commitment to STA during this transitional period was impressive and inspiring. So much so, that Spokane Reimagined has adopted a Co-Executive Director model for our own operations, with Sarah Rose and I sharing that role moving forward. As a token of our thanks, Spokane Reimagined has brought candy gift packs from Spokandy, for you to share with your respective teams. Don’t worry, the total value for each of you is under Washington State gift limits. Second, I want to commend Dr. Cortright and her team for the incredible work in marketing the new double decker fleet. From the Golden Ticket promotion to the blockbuster-styled commercials, your team has knocked it out of the park. I’m so excited to ride this fall. Finally, I want to discuss the Low-Income Fare Pilot Program under consideration today. Spokane Reimagined is in strong support of such a measure. In fact, we feel the program can go farther, either by raising income thresholds, reducing administrative burdens, or both. At a time when so many families struggle with the cost of living, making transportation as accessible as possible for those most at-risk is the right thing to do. STA already has discount and free fare programs. The Honored Rider, Stars & Stripes, and Rider’s License programs are well established, with free fares for youth and half price fares for seniors, people with disabilities, and active-duty military personnel and veterans. Some on this board might argue that a low-income fare will change the “character of ridership”, a term I’ve heard used at past board meetings. I would argue, how would you know what the character of ridership is if you don’t ride the bus? I’ve heard some members previously state their worry that with low-income fares, buses will become “mobi…
Bumper sticker that says "Frog and Toad Fight Fascism!" Frog and Toad are riding a bicycle and they're waving a rainbow flag.
Text Reads: Good Morning, At yesterday's Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors meeting, concerns were raised about the future move of STA Board meetings to the Plaza. Specifically, Commissioner French voiced his concern about the lack of free parking. While staff addressed these concerns by stating free parking would be available to board members in the Plaza's parking garage, I want to bring the Board's attention to the quality of transit service at the Spokane County administrative campus. Spokane County Commissioners can take the 4, 22, or 23 from stop 3438 (Monroe @ Broadway, 200 feet to the east of the Spokane County Public Works Building) directly to the STA Plaza. On weekdays, there are six departures between 12:45 and 1:25, all of which reach the Plaza by 1:30. Alternatively, Commissioners can take the 21, from stop 1203 (Broadway @ Madison, directly across the street from the Public Works Building), which has three departures from 12:42 to 1:12 to reach the Plaza by 1:30. In total, there are 9 departures over the span of 48 minutes, or approximately one departure every 5 minutes. Of all members of the STA Board, the County Commissioners have the easiest commute to meetings, both now (10 minute walk or 2 minute bus ride) and in the future (5 minute bus ride). Interestingly, I did not hear complaints from the representatives from Millwood, Cheney, or Medical Lake, all of which require a transfer to reach the STA Plaza (and currently require a second transfer to reach STA's Boone Campus). Commissioner French's comments further illustrate why it is so critical that STA's Board of Directors include members of the transit riding public. Anyway, the Spokesman-Review had a good writeup of the meeting: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/26/public-to-soon-be-asked-to-weigh-in-on-their-favor/ Thanks so much and have a wonderful weekend!
An elderly man uses a mobility scooter on a highway.
Good Afternoon, On May 4th, the 49th running of Spokane’s Bloomsday Race will take over the streets of Spokane. For many, it is the one day a year where these streets are seen as truly safe to run, walk, or roll. Rightfully so, as in four out of the last five years, the Bloomsday route has had a pedestrian fatality: Two fatalities at the staging area on Riverside Avenue, an unsolved hit and run at the top of Doomsday Hill on Pettet Drive, and most recently, 72-year-old Zhilan Chen was struck and killed by a pickup truck in February when trying to cross Whitstalks Way, next to Spokane Falls Community College. If this 7 ½ mile stretch of road was all one street, it would be labeled among Spokane’s most dangerous arterials. As we did last year, Spokane Reimagined will be holding signs and passing out information to the Bloomsday participants at the site of the most recent route fatality. At the bottom of these comments, there are three QR codes. Scanning the first code will take you to a mapping project I’ve been working on utilizing data from SRTC, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, and the Washington State Department of Transportation. The map shows pedestrian fatalities from 2014 through the first quarter of 2025, STA transit stops, and US Census tracts where at least 50% of households make less than 200% of the federal poverty rate. What you will see is that the highest densities of pedestrian fatalities are in our poorest areas. What you will also see is that the majority of pedestrian fatalities are directly adjacent to transit stops. This brings me to the second QR code, which will take you to a study that shows bus stop usage is associated with higher rates of pedestrian collisions. In other words, higher bus stop usage correlates with higher overall risk to pedestrians, regardless of traffic volumes. The third QR code links to a more recent study, which also finds pedestrian involved crashes are more likely to happen closer to bus stops.…
Net Debt-to-Total Revenues What it is: The total liabilities the city owes compared to how much revenue it collects in a year. What it tells you: This shows how many years of income it would take to pay off all debts if every dollar went to debt repayment. What the trend shows: If the ratio is rising, debt is growing faster than income—this is unsustainable. If it’s falling, the city is gaining control of its obligations. This graph is a bit wonky because the city only started reporting deferred inflows and outflows in 2015.
Net Financial Position (In Thousands of Dollars) What it is: The difference between the city’s financial assets (like cash and receivables) and its liabilities (like debt and pensions). This is the cumulative surplus/deficit that the city has accumulated through successive budget cycles. What it tells you: A positive net financial position suggests the city has more financial assets than obligations and is in a better position to weather downturns, invest in infrastructure, or respond to emergencies without resorting to borrowing or service cuts. If this number is negative, the city has spent more than it has saved and is relying on future revenue to pay past bills. What the trend shows: A downward trend means the city is growing more reliant on borrowing or deferring payments. An upward trend means it’s becoming more financially secure.
Map of Downtown Spokane showing transit stops (green) and pedestrian fatalities from 2019-2023.
Old school Mickey Mouse reading a book titled "How to Fight"
Vintage Sign with Riverfront Park clock tower Says: Ecology begins at home! Vote yes! Recycle our stations