EDITORIAL: Traffic trouble and the path forward

Late night traffic flow on U.S. 95 is getting better.

Let’s not stop there. It’s time to make real progress on one of the most daunting and dangerous pitfalls of a burgeoning population.

According to the Idaho Transportation Department, the U.S. 95 corridor from I-90 north to Lancaster Road is now safer and more flow-friendly late at night.

No longer are there flashing yellow lights for U.S. 95 drivers while drivers on cross streets see flashing red lights. That model not only stunted traffic flow; it led to unsafe conditions because many cross street drivers assumed the lights on 95 were also flashing red, so they’d pull out believing the north/south drivers would stop.

Now, radar and detection equipment upgrades at every intersection on the corridor function independently of timing cycles. The equipment employs a “see it and serve it” strategy, meaning drivers are no longer slaves to timed light changes made more chaotic by multiple jurisdictions operating on independent schedules. The new system provides improved coordination and safer driving conditions, which leads to this question:

Why not go further? As in, throughout Kootenai County?

That’s been the target of traffic experts for some time now. The Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, with representation from communities, highway districts, the county, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and ITD, has attempted to formulate and put into place a plan to improve traffic flow and increase safety.

However, a very vocal group of citizens objects vehemently, unleashing their perceptions of government overreach and privacy concerns. These mini-tempests have brought larger-scale progress to a screeching halt.

The Press recently editorialized, attributing some of the breakdown to KMPO’s inadequate communication in addressing the causes and solutions for the multitude of traffic headaches in the region.

While there’s some justification for that assessment, the editorial was too critical of KMPO. Instead, KMPO should have been encouraged to keep working and, acknowledging that unanimous public support will always be an impossibility, make tough decisions and forge ahead.

Lives are at stake here, and so is the daily downer of unnecessarily congested traffic that's only going to get even worse.

Perhaps the U.S. 95 corridor improvement will serve as an example of what’s possible with cooperation and the right traffic tools. It’s our hope that sooner, rather than later, traffic infrastructure countywide will be dramatically improved, which in turn will significantly improve quality of life throughout the region.

Yes, even for those who will scream bloody murder every inch of the way.