Crews begin reducing Pullman’s Main Street
Changes also include back-in angled parking and new bike lane
Motorists and cyclists will experience a new-look Main Street in Pullman for the next three and a half months.
The Pullman Public Works Department on Wednesday began restriping East Main Street from Paradise Street to Grand Avenue to reduce the road from three lanes to two.
They also created a six-foot wide bike lane and added new back-in diagonal parking on the south side of the street.
Pullman Deputy Public Works Director Clayton Forsmann said work should be finished after Friday. The changes, which were approved by the Washington State Department of Transportation, are scheduled to remain until Sept. 30.
“The goal is to try out some of the concepts from the central business district plan that was completed earlier this year,” Forsmann said of the changes.
Forsmann is referring to the master plan that consultant BDS Planning and Urban Design created in collaboration with the City of Pullman. It is intended to help the city improve the design and appeal of downtown, and the temporary changes on Main Street this summer will serve as a “pop-up demonstration” of some of those ideas, the city says.
According to the master plan, community members stressed that Main Street is too wide, too dominated by cars and trucks, and traffic moves too fast. The plan says making Main Street more pedestrian friendly is a priority.
In the master plan, the bike lane is shown on the north side of Main Street. According to the city, it is easier to implement with the bike lane on the south side for the trial demonstration. It is likely that if a permanent bike lane is constructed in the future it will be on the north side.
The city posted a link to a YouTube video on its website (https://youtu.be/2G6YE_Y0OPQ) to explain how back-in angle parking works.
According to the video, back-in angle parking increases the number of available parking spaces on a street. These spaces also provide a safer means for drivers and passengers to exit and enter their vehicle.
Forsmann said the city will use this pop-up demonstration to see how it functions and if it is accepted by the community.
He said the community can provide feedback by sending emails to pwprojects@pullman-wa.gov.
He also said staff plan to add a bicycle counter to see how many cyclists use the bike lane. They may also count the amount of vehicle traffic, as well.
After Sept. 30, Forsmann said crews will change Main Street back to three lanes.
Anthony Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
