Kennewick Council Says “NO MORE” To Cut Throughs

Effective immediately, if you think you're going to speed up your travel time in the City of Kennewick by taking a shortcut through private property, you might see your trip time extended and some cash missing from your wallet.

On September 16th, the Kennewick City Council voted to take action against a practice known as "cut throughs".  A cut through is when a driver uses a private driveway or the parking lot of a business to avoid waiting at an intersection.  There are a number of well known "cut throughs" around the Tri-Cities.

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One intersection in particular in Kennewick became the inspiration for the new ordinance.

Deputy City manager Cary Roe talked about drivers using the practice quite a bit at the intersection of Steptoe and Victoria.  While it may seem like an innocent practice, it can create a safety hazard.  Special Services Commander Isaac Merkl with the Kennewick Police Department said this about the problems it poses:

It’s dangerous to have a large volume of cut-through traffic in private parking lots because drivers are backing out of parking spaces and patrons are trying to make it safely back to their vehicles

Some local business have reported seeing roughly 100 cars a day using their parking lots to avoid waiting for a traffic light to change.  Now not waiting could cost you big.  KPD will start writing $250 citations to drivers that are caught cutting through intersections using private roads or parking lots.  To read the new ordinance click here.