Kalispell City Council to look at ordinances limiting downtown cruising
JACK UNDERHILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 5 months AGO
Vehicles spin their tires at a traffic light on Main Street during the Kruise Kalispell event on Friday, April 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
KALISPELL GOVERNMENT, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION REPORTER Jack Underhill covers Kalispell city government, housing and transportation for the Daily Inter Lake. His reporting focuses on how local policy decisions affect residents and the rapidly growing Flathead Valley. Underhill has reported on housing challenges, infrastructure issues and regional service providers across Montana. His work also includes accountability reporting on complex community issues and public institutions. Originally from Massachusetts, Underhill graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Journalism before joining the Inter Lake. In his free time, Underhill enjoys mountain biking around the valley, skiing up on Big Mountain or exploring Glacier National Park. IMPACT: Jack’s work helps residents understand how growth, housing and infrastructure decisions affect the future of their community. | October 28, 2024 12:00 AM
Downtown Kalispell could go cruise-free in the near future.
Kalispell City Council is expected to discuss potential ordinances to address Friday night traffic, particularly cruising, in the municipality's downtown during a work session on Monday night. Public comment about traffic, noise and safety stemming from downtown traffic on Friday nights prompted the discussion, according to city documents.
Law enforcement has stepped up its presence in the area to enforce existing traffic laws, but concerns remain, according to a memo drafted by City Manager Doug Russell.
Council meets at 7 p.m., Oct. 28 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.
City officials are expected to present Council with three sample ordinances used in other municipalities that offer ways of addressing weekend traffic concerns, primarily cruising.
“The common concept within these ordinances is to limit the repeated passing of a designated area by the same vehicle within a specific time-period,” Russell wrote in the memo.
Each ordinance holds a similar definition of cruising and violations result in a fine or imprisonment. Exemptions are carved out for public vehicles and emergency vehicles.
One ordinance comes from Billings and prohibits “the repeated unnecessary driving of motor vehicles” on certain highways. “No-cruising” areas are posted with signs and prohibit the pastime from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
“No driver or occupant of a motor vehicle shall pass a traffic control point in a posted no cruising area more than three times in any 60 minutes,” the ordinance states. No-cruising areas are decided by the city administrator.
Another cruising ordinance comes from Omaha, Nebraska. The city code there defines cruising as a vehicle passing a traffic control point three times within a two-hour period from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Designation of no-cruising areas can come from city council or the public works director under Omaha’s ordinance.
The third ordinance comes out of Kirkland, Washington, where the police chief “may declare all or a portion of a street or way open to the public to be a “traffic congestion area.”
Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at [email protected] and 758-4407.
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