Monday, Jun. 22, 2009

Prosser eyes long-term project to add bike lanes, sidewalks encircling city

By Drew Foster, Herald staff writer

PROSSER -- Prosser has created an ambitious plan to add more sidewalks to residential streets and add bike lanes encircling the city.

City officials say it could take up to 15 years to complete the plan, which has yet to be considered by the Prosser City Council.

Although the information recently was presented to the council, City Administrator Charlie Bush doesn't expect council members to formally consider the bike and pedestrian path plan until early or mid-July.

"It's big. We want to give them plenty of time to digest it," he said.

Many residential streets in Prosser lack sidewalks, especially those in neighborhoods that were built between the 1950s and 1970s, Bush said.

"We'll never cover them all but we're trying to cover the main pedestrian corridors," he said.

Besides the Continental Trail that runs between Prosser and Sunnyside, the city has one stretch of bike lane that parallels a portion of Wine Country Road. Prosser's bike and pedestrian path plan would add three loops of bike lanes around the city, said Planning and Permit Technician Steve Zetz, who helped design the plan.

One loop heads through downtown Prosser, another encircles the city like a scenic route, and the third would be geared toward tourism, highlighting Prosser's wine country and vineyards.

"It is a long-term project, there's no timeline on it," Zetz said. "It could take a decade to get all the items off the list."

Some of the main project areas on the list include Market Street and Highway 22, Kinney Way, Concord Street, as well as other streets that would create riverside paths.

It also calls for closing a portion of Byron Road to create a bike and pedestrian pathway along the Yakima River.

Tyson Rafferty, who was riding a bike to a Prosser store Thursday, said more bike lanes would be a welcome addition. Rafferty said he's been involved in near collisions with cars before. The 15-year-old is also learning to drive, and said having to motor past bicyclists in streets with no bike lanes can be hairy at times.

"I just try to be extra cautious," he said.

Between 1998 and 2008, there were 11 collisions between vehicles and bicycles in Prosser, eight between vehicles and pedestrians and one that involved a person on a skateboard, which was fatal. Two collisions happened last week in Prosser between vehicles and bicyclists. Both resulted in minor injuries.

Zetz said the plan may open the door for the city to receive state or federal dollars meant to pay for road projects that include bike paths. As maintenance work is performed along roads, he said sidewalks also may be installed and bike lanes could be painted. Painting bike lanes is relatively inexpensive, Zetz said, adding that the majority of the cost will come from pouring sidewalks.

The plan does not include a price tag because the city will be adding sidewalks, bike lanes and pedestrian and bike paths as projects come up, both Zetz and Bush said.

The two also hope the bike and pedestrian plan decreases traffic congestion and adds to the overall health of Prosser.