Kalispell to curb parking on section of Fifth Avenue West

The southernmost stretch of Fifth Avenue West in Kalispell is poised to see a partial parking ban in the coming weeks. 

The ban is expected to affect the east side of the avenue between 11th Street West and Sunnyside Drive adjacent to Ashley Creek. The west side will remain open for motorists to park their vehicles.  

Per city standards, the road is too narrow to allow on-street parking, but Deputy Public Works Director Keith Haskins worried that pulling every parked car off the road might encourage speeding. Allowing motorists to park along one side could aid in traffic calming, he said.  

Officials picked the east side of the road for the restriction because that’s where mail delivery occurs.  

That section of Fifth Avenue West is classified as a local street by the city, but Kalispell’s Move 2040 Transportation Plan proposes redesignating it as a major collector. 

Once traffic volume increases enough to call the road a major collector, parking on both sides will be prohibited, according to city documents.  

The city began notifying adjacent properties of the restriction at the end of December. Haskins said they can impose the restriction by the end of the month, but the frozen ground may postpone the installation of signs until spring. 

The parking prohibition comes after the city’s street crew reported running into problems while plowing the narrow road when cars are parked on either side, according to Haskins. 

Fire and emergency response vehicle access was also a cited reason for the parking restriction.   

“If it was your house or medical emergency that our response was delayed due to having to park down the street,  walk our equipment or lay our hose lines down much longer distances, the community would want us to act proactively to prevent such a situation,” said Kalispell Fire Chief Dan Pearce in an email.  

Pearce said photos show delivery vehicles barely squeezing through the narrow road, so “there is no way we could park our fire apparatus and open the doors or get equipment if the emergency was in the area we needed to park.”  

On-street bike paths may also eventually be warranted on the section of road, as called for in the city’s transportation plan. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.