UPDATE: “Get Off My Lawn” Moment: Stop Trashing Pasco’s Bike Path!

UPDATE: The City, the Department of Transportation, or a good Samaritan moved quickly and cleaned up the trash covering parts of the Pasco River Path. See the images below. 

[From May 1] - It’s super disheartening to see all the litter on the river path next to the Blue Bridge. For years, I have walked, jogged, and ridden my bike on the river paths in Pasco, and there’s never been a time that I’ve seen it this bad. It’s been pooped on, tagged, littered with garbage, and pooped on again. On top of that, it’s become a mini-bike racetrack at all hours of the day and night (cue the angry old guy comments).

Graffiti and Garbage: Is This Really What We Want for Pasco’s Riverfront?

Honestly, when it comes to mini-bikes, yes, I rode one when I was younger, and I took it on the road at times, but not to the extreme that the riders of 2025 are doing. They completely ignore law enforcement, no matter how many times they’re kicked off, and they do it with their middle fingers in the air and a “catch me if you can” attitude.

Now, getting back to the litter and graffiti. Who is responsible for removing the litter on the bike path next to Highway 395 on the north side of the Blue Bridge? According to the City of Pasco, that section (photographed below) is owned by the Department of Transportation, and as you can see, no one from DOT’s litter control department has dispatched a crew to clean it up for months - if ever. So, I reminded them by submitting a report at the DOT graffiti abatement site. Clocks ticking DOT.

Fed Up with the Litter and graffiti on Pasco’s River Walk? You’re Not Alone

The bike path underneath the Blue Bridge is the city's responsibility, and unfortunately, it’s recently been tagged again. I can’t count how many times that bridge piling has been painted – 20? 30? As you walk on the path to the east or west, everything is tagged -  the picnic tables, historical markers, and memorial benches. It’s sad to see it in this condition, and honestly, I don’t know how to solve it. Certainly, the city can’t assign someone to patrol the path all night, right?

For now, the best course of action is to report it, and I’ve outlined how you can do that here.

Within Pasco City Limits – litter and graffiti: Use the AskPasco App, the Online Portal, or call the Code Enforcement office at 509-543-5743. The City of Pasco encourages residents to report litter and other code violations when they see them.

Outside the City Limits (Franklin County): Contact the Franklin County Code Enforcement office at 509-545-3521

State Highways and Roads: Contact the Department of Ecology via their litter prevention link.

By reporting litter through these channels, we can all contribute to maintaining a litter and graffiti-free neighborhood in Pasco and the surrounding areas.

***UPDATED PHOTOS since this article was published. The picture on the left was taken on May 1st. The picture on the right was taken on May 8th. Kudos to whoever cleaned up the path - someone listened. 

I'd also like to thank the Pasco Police Department for stepping up and enforcing the mini-bike laws - READ MORE here.