The Whitefish Planning Commission voted by general consensus to add explicit traffic‑calming language to the draft growth policy's transportation objectives.

Commissioner (S7) proposed "Adopt a traffic calming program as recommended in Safe Streets for All, page 66," urging the commission to include guidance on speed control and calming measures. Commissioners debated where to place the language — under multimodal objectives, under connectivity, or as a new objective tied to land‑use impacts — and settled on inserting a new objective within the transportation/land‑use section so it applies to appropriate contexts.

Commissioners and staff discussed common traffic‑calming measures and potential tradeoffs: road diets that reduce lane widths, landscaping to alter driver perception, speed bumps, reduced posted speeds and intersection treatments. Planning staff cautioned that some measures (for example road diets) can be controversial and that the exact tools should be chosen with public input and data.

Why it matters: explicit traffic‑calming language gives staff and future applicants clearer direction about preferred treatments and how the city will balance connectivity with preserving neighborhood character. The commission indicated approval by a show of hands; staff said the draft incorporating the new objective would be posted as the Nov. 5 revision.

Next steps: staff will insert the agreed‑upon objective language, note the source reference (Safe Streets for All), and include the change in the packet for the Nov. 19 continuation meeting.