City Proposes $1.2 Million Street Redesign With Expanded Parking and Bike Lanes

The Medford City Council has indicated preliminary support for a new redesign of Main Street that would maintain two travel lanes while adding angled parking and modified bicycle infrastructure.

During a study session on April 7, 2026, councilors held a nonbinding straw poll showing enough support to move the proposal, known as Option 2A, to a formal vote at a future regular meeting. The plan was proposed by Councilor Nick Card.

Proposed Main Street Configuration

Option 2A would keep Main Street as a two-lane corridor but would introduce angled parking, which city staff estimated would add approximately 40 parking spaces. The proposal would also replace the existing protected bike lane with a one-way bicycle lane that is unbuffered.

The estimated cost for this redesign is $1.2 million. This figure exceeds the cost of a separate plan approved by the council in January 2026, which sought to revert the street to three lanes at an estimated cost of roughly $1 million.

City officials noted that implementing this change could result in the requirement to repay grant funding to the Oregon Department of Transportation, as that funding had been provided to support the protected bike lane currently in place.

Context of the Redesign Debate

The proposal follows a period of significant public disagreement regarding the downtown corridor. Councilor Kevin Stine noted during the April 7 session that the January 2026 vote to remove the protected bike lane was not well received by the public, and that opposition to the decision had lasted longer than had been seen with previous transportation projects.

Councilor Nick Card advocated for the current compromise by emphasizing the driving habits of those visiting the downtown area.

We are a car-based community. Most people who come to Medford are not walking downtown or biking downtown, they are driving downtown.

Councilor Nick Card

According to reporting from Medford Alert, the study session represents the latest stage in an ongoing public process to determine the final configuration of the downtown street.