The Hillyard community is working with the Spokane Street Department to install two digital radar speed signs on Market and Haven streets, but the city questions if the signs are the road to the future-or just future problems.

The signs feature a digital screen displaying the vehicle speed picked up by a radar gun and tell drivers if they are speeding. A built-in computer records every driver's speed throughout the day. Hillyard will pay approximately $15,000, including installation fees for the signs, but the City of Spokane will cover maintenance costs.

The street department and Hillyard residents both agree that putting in radar signs is an effective tactic for slowing down traffic. Gonzaga University installed the only two signs in Spokane more than a year ago and now so few people speed, the police don't patrol the area as much, said Senior Traffic Engineer Bob Turner.

Hillyard Neighborhood Council Chairman Dave Griswold said he and some residents from the community gave the signs a trial run on the busy Market and Haven streets and the result was noticeable. Drivers saw their speed on the signs and immediately slowed down, usually by about four miles an hour, he said.

Despite the positive results of the signs at Gonzaga and Hillyard, the city has some concerns. If Hillyard's signs are effective, more communities in Spokane will want signs, especially in school zones. But the street department is under funded by $3 million per year, thus maintenance on every sign could pose a financial obstacle, said Scott Egger, director of the street department.

"When we're in a position where our budget is being cut, how do we maintain more than what we have now? It's a desirable feature and we would like to serve the public, but how can we do that when we're continually being cut," Egger said.

Hillyard feels it needs the signs because traffic on those streets exceeds the 20 mph limit by 10-15 mph and makes conditions dangerous for pedestrians.

"We have 18-wheelers going through there on a daily basis. So we need to slow that down and we need to make it so it will be pedestrian-friendly. That's what we're shooting for," said Griswold.

Keeping in mind that the Hillyard signs could be the first of many, the Street Department is taking the time to establish standards for installing them. The city wants one type of sign to make maintenance easier and more efficient. It's for the benefit of the taxpayers, Egger said, because if the signs are standardized, they are less expensive to maintain.

Egger is concerned about the signs losing their effectiveness after drivers grow accustomed to them and perhaps no longer pay any attention. Gonzaga's signs are so effective because drivers are surprised by seeing their speed and immediately adjust it, he said.

The people of Hillyard approved the installation of the signs in the 2006 Steering Committee allocation, and like the way the city has handled the process. A survey of the Historic Hillyard Business District businesses showed that nearly everyone was for the signs, but they all wanted them in front of their businesses, Griswold said. The only thing left to decide is location.

Brooke Plastino, 58, has lived in the Hillyard community for his entire life and believes the new signs will increase pedestrian safety and improve business in the area because traffic will be slowed.

The signs will be on Market and Haven streets, but Hillyard and the city are still deciding exactly where. The city must approve the location and then provide dimensions that will be the standard for future signs. Griswold hopes the signs will be in place in six weeks, but it could take more than three months.

*Editors' Notes: 
1.  Hillyard is a unique community in Spokane in that it has a major truck route running through a business district.  The 20 mph speed limit is there to allow the business district it's pedestrian customers, we believe these signs will aid in this goal.  Much of the traffic the travels through the Historic Business District either does not realize this or chooses to ignore it.  In this way, Hillyard should not be lumped in with other Spokane communities that may wish to employ these signs.
2.  The pictures used in this article to depict the speed signs are only theoretical, the design and type to be employed has not yet been fully determined.