Moscow City Council addressed the increased use of e-bikes, approved plans to improve emergency communication systems and accepted grant money for Sixth Street bridge renovations.
Support for e-bikes
This amendment was to be proactive in the increase of e-bikes, e-scooters and similar devices used within the city.
“The key on this amendment, again, is to support these devices, but it can’t be at the detriment of other users of the right of way,” Deputy City Supervisor Cody Riddle said. “Specifically, the pedestrians on our sidewalks, on the most basic sense, it does put these electric devices kind of on the same playing field as traditional cyclists.”
In the amendment, the use of these devices downtown was contemplated. Originally, the draft of the amendment would have placed a speed limit of six miles per hour within the downtown area. Riddle stated that this speed is faster than a typical pedestrian walking on the sidewalks.
“To address this, this amendment before you this evening suggests a dismount zone,” Riddle said. “The code would prohibit the use of all electric devices on the sidewalks in this area.”
The dismount zone would encapsulate all of Main Street to Lewis Street. This effect would take place June 1, 2022.
The other part of this amendment is to allow a license agreement for companies that want to deploy these devices on a commercial level within Moscow. These would be annual licenses that allow the city to enforce the code. It would also include a 24-hour contact that would report to the city on use patterns, maintenance and important updates.
Outdated emergency radio system
Since 2015, the council has been working on ways to find a solution to the city’s emergency radio communication system. Currently, the city’s radio system has limited coverage across the city resulting in dead zones or difficulties in being able to communicate with dispatch.
City Supervisor Bill Belknap stated that officers have to switch between different channels on the radio depending on what repeater they’re hitting.
“The system the city currently operates is very old and has limited coverage across the city,” Belknap said. “There are several areas especially down south and within certain buildings in the community where officers can’t even communicate in and out of buildings and cannot communicate with dispatch.”
The project will involve the installation of a new simulcast system and the replacement of all mobile and handheld radios. The cost of the project is estimated to be $3.4 million with the professional service agreement totaling $48,000. The timeline for completion is approximated to take two years to complete.
Sixth Street bridge disaster recovery
In 2017 and 2019, the Sixth Street bridge suffered damage due to flooding in the area. The city applied for a disaster recovery grant from the Economic Development Administration to assist with funding for the replacement of the damaged bridge. On Jan. 12, the city was awarded $955,000 for the project.
The new 24-foot, single-span bridge will include sidewalks, bike lanes and be elevated to reduce the possibility of future flooding in the area. Construction is expected to take place this summer and be completed by the end of 2022.
Daniel V. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @DVR_Tweets