Additional 2-hour parking areas could be coming to the City of Montesano.

Due to parking issues at the 300 block of West Pioneer Avenue, the city’s model traffic ordinance (MTO) committee is recommending that the council approve a two-hour parking limit on that block. The committee also is recommending the council approve a two-hour parking limit at the 400 block of West Pioneer Avenue to prevent the issue from shifting by just one block.

With employees of businesses parking along the street, customers are left with fewer spaces, a frustrating situation during the midday lunch traffic rush.

The parking limit would model the restrictions for parking in other areas throughout the city, applicable Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That would mean the impact to residents living near those blocks would be limited, Mayor Vini Samuel said.

“I don’t see very many people on Fleet or Third street parked during the day,” Samuel said. “After 5 p.m., I see a lot of residents parking, but for the most part it’s pretty empty during the day.”

Councilman Dan Wood worried that adding a two-hour limit would push parking issues into other neighborhoods and thereby shift the issue from one block to another.

“We might play Whack-a-Mole here,” Wood said.

The issue, according to information provided to the council, is only three or four specific people who park in that block. Pushing those drivers to another block is not expected to cause significant issues for residents in nearby neighborhoods.

Vance and the MTO committee floated the idea of having two-hour parking throughout the downtown district.

“We also talked about the 200 block of East Pioneer (Avenue) which takes you down in front of NAPA and in front of Thriftway,” Vance said. “Not that we’ve had parking complaints there, but it really goes to the end of our business district and we talked about making that equal.”

The council took no action and the matter could come before the council during the next council meeting on Aug. 8.