Decision would drop posted mph from 35 to 30 for most of street

MOSES LAKE — Motorists on one of the city's major thoroughfares may need to hit their brakes next month.

Speeds and congestion have led to an increasing number of accidents on Stratford Road, and Moses Lake city staff said that's one reason why they've proposed reducing the street's speed limit from 35 mph to 30 mph. The city council unanimously approved their first hearing of the proposal, and will take final action at their meeting March 28.

The proposal was one of many taken up by the council Tuesday night, at a meeting in which members also approved the installation of bike lanes on another street.

"We feel a 30 mile per hour speed limit is reasonable and hopefully will reduce some accidents," Municipal Services Director Gary Harer told the council Tuesday.

The Alder Street Fill portion of Stratford Road is one of the busiest sections of roadway in Moses Lake, and sees as many as 30,000 cars each day. Harer pointed to the speed limit reduction on Wheeler Road from 50 mph to 35 mph in the city limits a few years ago, which he said has been successful in reducing accidents on that stretch of road.

While the change would lower the limit for most of the road, it will raise the posted limit from 25 mph to 30 mph for a short section from E. Broadway Avenue to a middle section of the Alder Street Fill. Posting the same speed for the entire length of Stratford Road was one reason Harer and Police Chief Dean Mitchell have been in discussions on the change.

"It's our belief that the Stratford Road speed limit should be consistent throughout," Mitchell told the council.

Councilman Richard Pearce had concerns about the change Tuesday, and suggested reducing the speed limit would also reduce the capacity for cars traveling down the roadway. Pearce voted in favor of the change, but said he wanted to revisit the issue to see the impact the changes would have.

"I'd really like to see some statistics in another six months," Pearce said.

Also Tuesday, the council voted 5-2 to approve the installation of bike lanes on Broadway Avenue Extended from Highway 17 to the city limits at Road 4 NE. Councilmen Pearce and Jim Liebrecht voted against the proposal, citing concerns about the traffic flows and large vehicles that travel the roadway.

Harer brought the proposal before the council after suggestions from the Moses Lake Trails Planning Team, which also proposed the addition of bike lanes on Wheeler and Nelson roads. Harer said Wheeler proposals didn't appear to be feasible, but changes for Broadway Extended were brought forth Tuesday in order to accommodate the looming widening of Highway 17 by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Harer told council members the proposal would extend the three lanes of traffic on Broadway Avenue Extended with a six-foot bike lane beyond the road's intersection at Highway 17.

TPT member Deb Miller presented information to the council, noting her research showed striped bike lanes have had a positive impact on cyclists, rather than forcing those cyclists onto sidewalks. She said bike lanes led to an increase in bicycle use and a reduction in bicycle crashes.

Many on the council brought up concerns about the traffic flow on Broadway Extended, citing the number of delivery trucks and concerns they had not yet heard from merchants on the issue.

Councilman Dick Deane echoed the comments of other council members in saying the city should maintain the continuity of Broadway Extended beyond Highway 17 and to the city limits.

Mayor Ron Covey also spoke in favor of the proposal, noting that because of the Highway 17 project it would be the only time they would be able to take such action for about 20 years.

Changes to Broadway Extended to provide for the bike lanes will likely take place this summer in conjunction with the Highway 17 widening, Harer said after the meeting.