Letter to DOT

 

    Last week our City Council held a meeting for public comment on their proposal to improve downtown Main Street by narrowing it from four lanes to two, with a turn lane as its +1. There would still be parallel parking, but they would add wider sidewalks where the bistros we do not yet have, could offer outdoor tables so patrons could enjoy exhaust fumes with their meal during the two months the weather would be suitable for outside dining. I did not go to the meeting because they are usually just a futile formality for a decision that has already been made. Instead, I wrote an online comment to the Montana Department of Transportation in the probably naive belief that, since Main is actually Highway 93, traffic flow might be of interest to them, I wrote the following:      

 

    My name is Connie Lamb. I live in Kalispell. Please save me from the idiocy of my City Council. Since the federal funds they are eager to access cannot be used for the parking structure we actually need in downtown Kalispell, they are planning to make Main/Hwy 93 into a de facto parking lot by reverting it to one lane each way with center turn lane. Their plan includes keeping parallel parking, which means people who are inconsiderate enough to hold up traffic, will keep an even longer line waiting. And people like me who haven't parallel parked since their driver's license test, will not even try to shop downtown. The diners our Council envisions eating al fresco on the widened sidewalks, can do so while breathing in fresh exhaust from the queue of cars.

    Apparently our council members have not driven Hwy 93 through Polson in tourist season, or they would know that not only can drivers not turn left into a business they might like to patronize, they also can't turn right to get out. Some businesses even put out signs asking thru traffic to please let their customers out of their parking lot. The plan promises to help businesses, but the construction that blocked North Meridian when that road was being rebuilt caused several businesses there to close for good. The Council is probably correct that there will be fewer accidents on Main, because vehicles usually have to be moving to have a collision.

   The combination of federal funds and a foolish idea are irresistible to city government, but DOT has final authority over our highways and I hope you can prevent this impractical plan, or at least park it until we have more realistic representatives.

 

    I received a discouraging response from the DOT saying they supported the idea. Kalispell is to be the lead of a "Safe Streets for All" campaign to take advantage of free federal funds available to frustrate drivers. She referred me to the PR firm tasked with sending responses so they can pretend our comments matter. However, God must answer even snarky prayers because, even though they used the magic word safety in their proposal, last night the council voted down sending an application for the government grant. And there is no way the locals will pay extra to obstruct their own traffic. Kalispell has been saved from this particular piece of idiocy, no thanks to the DOT. My thanks is going to the GOD.