Council debates WSDOT downtown bike-lane proposal, raises parking and safety concerns

Council members spent an extended portion of the June 3 meeting discussing a WSDOT-drafted plan to add bike lanes through Benton City’s downtown by converting angled parking to parallel parking and inserting a bike lane between the sidewalk and parked cars (with a small safety buffer).

Staff said WSDOT had indicated funding and had shared draft maps; the plan would convert three angled spots into a single parallel spot in some locations. Council members noted pros — parallel parking can make reentry into traffic easier — and cons: significant net loss of curbside spaces for downtown businesses, safety concerns if the bike lane sits between traffic and parked cars (risk of dooring), impacts to special-event parking, and ADA/access needs for transit and vans with wheelchair lifts. Several council members preferred the configuration used on the north end of downtown — bike lane adjacent to traffic and parking at the curb — and asked staff and the city engineer to discuss design alternatives with WSDOT.

Staff emphasized the plan is not final and said WSDOT will likely reach out to the city for further conversations. Council requested engineering overlay maps (site plan with FEMA flood layers in another, unrelated agenda item) and asked staff to explore alternative parking or off‑street options, accessibility requirements for parallel stalls, and timing for WSDOT presentations.

No formal council action was taken on the bike-lane plan at this meeting; staff expects further discussions with WSDOT in the coming weeks.