Downtown Kalispell’s viability as a walkable, pedestrian-friendly, and more accessible area was dealt another blow earlier this week after the city council voted 5-4 against the federal application designed to support a reduction in vehicle traffic lanes and increase pedestrian safety. While there’s been recent public criticism for the plan that would reduce Main Street from four lanes to two lanes plus a turn lane, it’s disheartening to see public opinion sway so far away against a long-term plan focused on making downtown less about a major highway blazing through its line of charming historic buildings, and ensuring community vibrancy.
In the 20-plus years since I moved to this town, community and local leaders have worked hard to remake downtown into the city’s heart, and that included moving traffic to the bypass. A major goal of the U.S. Highway 93 bypass is to reduce traffic through downtown. In fact, concerns about traffic congestion and safety through downtown is at least 70 years old when the idea of rerouting Highway 93 from downtown was first launched in the 1940s. It took decades to complete with an incalculable amount of bipartisan support from the federal, state, and local levels. In 2016 the completed bypass opened, and I recall, as a downtown business owner at the time, now we could focus our efforts on reviving the kind of spirit Main Street once held for nearly a century. It was around the same time the tremendous project of removing the old train tracks that ran through town came to fruition and the Parkline Trail was created. There was so much enthusiasm for yet another long-held dream. It took incredible partnerships between government agencies, private businesses, and community members. It’s a hallmark project. There was so much momentum with the pedestrian trails that I believed transforming Kalispell’s beautiful downtown that happened to be saddled with a major highway was coming soon. Soon I’d be able to complete a bike ride from the Parkline’s west trailhead and continue to pedal — safely — downtown. I imagined that I’d feel much safer crossing Main Street with my two young children in town once the roadway was redesigned. I imagined all the incredible opportunities that would come for the many downtown business owners who knew that once Main Street was rid of its highway designation and intense traffic patterns, new and welcoming opportunities were just around the corner. I dreamed of being able to have a conversation while walking on the sidewalk without having to yell over the noise of traffic.
Now, that dream is postponed with the council not pursuing the application for the Main Street Safety Action Plan that has studied the data and looked at reducing fatalities and injuries due to crashes. One needs to look no further than the Friday night Main Street “Kalispell Kruise” to understand that there are legitimate safety concerns. I’m not sure a person’s vehicle “rights” come into play as a city contends with traffic management and economic viability, but somehow that’s the winning argument. Parking or lack thereof is another myth that continues to plague this area. Actual parking spots in the downtown corridor were counted recently and there are plenty. It may not occur on the first two blocks of Main Street, but downtown doesn’t have an availability problem. What we do have is a vocal public who forget that healthy downtowns, where local owners place all their bets and savings, need pedestrians. Downtowns need to be accessible to strollers and those with mobility issues without fear of getting run over by a car turning left onto Main Street. Kids need to be able to safety cross Main Street to get to school. Community happens not in big box parking lots but rather on the sidewalks where local shops offer their baked goods, coffee, and books.
I’m not sure everyone knows the long history of Kalispell’s transportation plan, but I do believe the municipal workers, elected officials, business leaders, and community leaders who’ve rallied for decades for the city to return to its roots are shocked by this recent vote. Why would anyone believe the car or trunk trumps all?