Keeping it a two-way street or making it one-way with a dedicated bike lane would mean giving up 25 parking spaces, something that merchants found unacceptable and council members were unwilling to approve.

But council members still could end up finding a creative way for cyclists to safely bike uphill on St. Helens against the flow of traffic. On Tuesday, Councilman Mike Lonergan suggested that cyclists be allowed to share the sidewalk with pedestrians on the section of St. Helens between South Ninth and Market streets. A painted line or some other barrier could be used to separate walkers from bikers, similar to walking and biking trails, he said.

City Manager Eric Anderson liked the idea and said he would direct staff to look into it. Several other council members also expressed support for the idea, which was quickly dubbed “the Lonergan amendment.”

Only Councilman Jake Fey, the lone council member who professed to regularly riding a bike, didn’t immediately support it. “I’m not sure that we’re really accomplishing anything,” Fey said. “Market (Street) and Broadway are sufficient for most people who are really serious about riding their bicycles.”

Lonergan came up with the idea during the council’s noon study session. The proposed change to St. Helens had been discussed extensively in the council’s Economic Development Committee, but never from the point of view of cyclists.

Last week, council members heard the first reading of an ordinance changing the traffic flow on St. Helens, and after hearing complaints they considered other options including keeping it two-way and building a bike lane.

The options are somewhat limited because of underground vaults and supporting walls that dictate the width of the sidewalks, said assistant public works director Craig Sivley. As a consequence, it’s impossible to make the sidewalks small enough to accommodate two lanes of traffic and angle parking, or one lane of traffic, a dedicated bike lane and angle parking, he said. The only way to do it is to make cars park parallel to the curb, a switch that would eat into the number of spaces, Sivley said.

After Lonergan came up with the potential sidewalk solution, council members ended up voting 6-3 Tuesday to make St. Helens one-way.

Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542

jason.hagey@thenewstribune.com