Kalispell City Council on Monday considered how to implement traffic-calming projects under a proposed street safety policy.

The framework would create a uniform, data-driven system for reviewing traffic-safety complaints from residents and ranking projects by priority. It would also integrate traffic-calming requirements into new development.  

Traffic calming measures are physical infrastructure upgrades to streets intended to slow down cars and reduce crashes. Improvements include traffic circles, realigned intersections, raised crosswalks, road diets, curb extensions or median barriers.  

Questions over how to pay for upgrades on existing streets dominated the Oct. 12 discussion, though it marked the first of several Council and public review sessions before the policy is set for adoption in March. 

Kalispell’s effort to establish a traffic-calming policy began in 2016 over concerns on East Oregon Street, but Council disputes over funding stalled the proposal, according to Deputy Public Works Director Keith Haskins. 

Since then, the need for a policy has only grown more dire as Kalispell continues to top the state and country in population growth, increasing 27% since 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  

Once-quiet neighborhood streets are becoming popular shortcuts for motorists, increasing traffic volumes and speeds to the ire of nearby residents, according to the proposed policy.  

Rather than reacting to the most vocal complainers, the policy outlines a data-driven, tiered system to determine which resident-led requests should take priority.   

But before any upgrades are made, standard traffic controls — warning signs or pavement striping — must have been installed for at least a year and proven unsuccessful at slowing traffic.  

To qualify for improvements, streets must carry between 1,000 and 5,000 vehicle trips per day. The range is intended to target routes with significant traffic issues while avoiding ones where traffic-calming measures could impede traffic flow.  

The street must also have a history of crashes within the past five years or evidence of excessive speeding.  

The roadways are then ranked from lowest to highest priority using a grading rubric, a method lauded by councilors.  

Citing frequent speeding, Four Mile Drive received the highest priority score among eight sample locations evaluated by the Public Works Department. East Oregon Street ranked second because of its high crash density.  

Once the street meets its technical requirements, the person who requested upgrades must obtain signatures from at least two-thirds of nearby property owners so it can be slated for a traffic calming study. Renters and tenants are excluded from signing. 

Then, Public Works would provide three potential upgrades and host a neighborhood meeting that two-thirds of property owners must attend. Attendees would vote on a preferred upgrade. Securing two-thirds support is required to advance the project to final design and construction.  

There is an exception for streets that don’t meet the traffic volume requirement but demonstrate safety issues. An applicant who garners at least two-thirds support from nearby residents can apply for upgrades as long as they are not funded by the city. 

How much weight public input would have in selecting the upgrade most appropriate for a particular street will largely depend on the funding mechanism Council adopts.  

Mayor Ryan Hunter and Councilor Wes Walker supported raising Street Maintenance District assessments citywide to chip away at needed upgrades over time.  

“It wouldn’t be that much of an increase to get enough funding to make some real progress on a year-to-year basis,” Hunter said. 

The funds could be paired with money from the general fund, he added. 

Hunter argued that if projects are funded with citywide dollars, historical evidence should outweigh public opinion. He pointed to the often-unpopular reception of roundabouts as an example.

“Our focus should be what works, what’s safe. And if that’s a traffic circle, people are going to complain about it before it goes in. But if it's going to be effective in making the street safer, then maybe we should move forward with it,” he said. 

Councilor Sid Daoud opposed using general fund dollars or raising assessments, arguing that residents are more interested in improving sidewalk connectivity than funding traffic-calming measures. 

Hunter and Daoud supported putting a levy before voters to fund both traffic calming and sidewalk upgrades. 

Councilors also considered Special Improvement Districts, which are created and funded by neighboring property owners but would require a majority of local support.  

Kalispell lacks the authority to require traffic calming infrastructure as part of new developments. As a result, residents of those neighborhoods return years later asking the city to address speeding and safety concerns at public expense, Haskins said.  

The proposed policy would allow Kalispell to enact traffic-calming standards, though some Councilors were divided over whether to impose them.  

Daoud argued that tacking more standards on new development would indirectly raise housing costs. Hunter and Councilor Lisa Blank responded that it would make more sense to build the features from scratch rather than eventually incurring costs to retrofit them.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.