Transportation Chapter

I would like to see more multimodal options on Meridian through the north end of town. The roundabout is a good idea at Illinois, but people fly through it and it isn't as safe as it should be. We should consider other ways to slow down traffic as people approach the roundabout. As a bike rider, there is no safe option going through Meridian to the north end of town. Personally, I don't have an issue riding through the road, but I am sure that most people do not feel that it is safe enough to travel through. Considering how many businesses and current/future housing is in the area, we need to have this area looked at closely. When the sewer line and the WSDOT fish passage projects are done, it would be nice to see what positive changes can and should be done to the area. We can do better here. It's been a problem for far too long.

Also, please reconsider spending more tax dollars on electric vehicle charging stations.
I own two electric vehicles and I never use the charging stations; I only ever charge at home.
Anymore ECS would be a further waste of money and resources on them.

"If cyclists want their own lanes, they can register and license their bikes and also carry insurance."
I second that.

It is good to see acknowledgement of the necessity of good communication with WSDOT for collaborating on traffic matters that are pressing for Bellingham regarding the I5 situation.

"Reduce vehicle speeds through . . . enforcement." "Especially in School Zones."
There should be dedicated beats for school zones, and whatever happened to crossing guards?
Dedicated beats for the zones, so that enforcement of speed laws be conducted EVERYWHERE especially.
There is a dearth of traffic law enforcement it seems to me.
I never see regular traffic enforcement beats anymore. What happened to that?
Example: Used to be a motorcycle officer regularly monitoring traffic on Lakeway in the 1100 block. Again, what happened to that?
There's far too much speeding on Lakeway from Lincoln St to Whatcom Lake. I mean ridiculous idiotic speeders sometimes.
So please do reduce vehicle speeds through . . . enforcement, especially everywhere.

Given that they are regrettably idealistic, I do not advocate for 'road diets.' I ask that there be no more attention given to the concept, and that existing experimentation with it be eliminated where it has proven to cause traffic delay for folks trying to get to work or to get home or to get somewhere other than being needlessly jammed-in where jams never used to occur prior to 'road diets,' wasting expensive gas and polluting the air of pedestrians and bicyclists with unnecessary exhaust while stalled in traffic. Thank you.

If the City of Bellingham can create more power line undergrounding districts, many opportunities would open up for street improvements, for example the addition of turn lanes and bus turnouts near major intersections, visibility improvements, reliability of utilities during storm conditions, creation of space for additional bike lanes WITHOUT a the reduction in the number of vehicle lanes, reduced conflict with street trees, reduced fire hazards, creating opportunities for improved streetscapes, etc.

If HSR ever does come to exist between Vancouver, B.C. and Portland, Bellingham needs to be the first stop on the USA side. Which means the City and County need to determine and obtain right-of-way for a corridor that could handle high speed trains (as opposed to the existing low-speed corridor along the coast). Perhaps elevated rail above the I-5, with a train station adjacent BLI ?

More Road Diets!! Prioritize the person over the car!!

Would also love to see a trolley system project jointly taken on by the City, WTA, and WWU. WWU is a linear, pedestrian-heavy traffic that relies on a bus a system that is constrained financially. The hilly and linear nature of the campus would be perfect for a trolley system that transports students and faculty to dorms, major university buildings, and bus stops to connect to the greater Bellingham area. This could inspire similar projects in the area, supporting a new tourist/experiential sector of economic development (Ie. Fairhaven). Begin in a location where you know ridership will be high (college students on campus), and then continue to the other urban villages in the City. Get people out of their cars in a unique, innovative way, without “taking people’s cars away,” as some might say.

Goals and policies in the plan should capitalize on the high density of pedestrians and bicyclists located in the center of town at WWU.

Prioritize pedestrians, buses, and bikes over private motorized vehicles. Create parallel routes for these modes where freight traffic is heavy (Meridian). Make pedestrian crossings safer by avoiding HAWK signals at busy streets and using stoplights that prioritize peds and bikes (Ped crossing at Lakeway and Grant should be a stoplight). Holly Street and Samish Way road diets are good starts! Roundabouts at King & Potter, Potter & Lincoln, and at the highway entrance on Lakeway.

In places where the state is already spending significant amounts of money to remove culverts for enhancing fish passage under roads, coordinate trail crossing plans with those projects.

If creeks are being day lighted under roads, with overpasses versus culverts, it could create an opportunity to have trail, bike, pedestrian crossings as well.

The state is planning upgrades for creek crossings under Meridian, near I-5 as well as I-5 Itself. It would be great if there could be an under roadway trail crossing of Meridian in that area to avoid the busy intersection for crossing Meridian. A new Senior Center is planned in that area so it would be good to have a way to cross under Meridian from west to east.

A trail under I-5 in that area could help connect north and south Bellingham. I read that the state is planning to enhance creek crossings under both Meridian and I-5 in that area. Trail and creek plans could be coordinated.

i see my comment finally showed up
there's something wrong with the system
thanks for removing extra copies of the same comment

Removed by moderator.

Transportation is so very important if the B'ham Plan is implemented as presented! To make this work, of course, the infrastructure must be built BEFORE the lots are parsed and built upon. Included in that infrastructure would be wider roads with sidewalks for safety of pedestrians, better and bigger storm-water drainage, sewage treatment plant big enough to deal with all recent and future growth, assurance of enough clean drinking water, and transportation that didn't depend upon cars, where appropriate.
Where we live, for example, it's about 2/3mi walk (some of which has no sidewalks) to the closest bus stop which has bus service hourly but doesn't arrive up here until about 7;40 am & stops shortly after 5;40pm... and only runs 6 days/wk.
Others in the neighborhood live much further from the bus. This level of service makes it hard to use the bus for transportation to or from work, as it doesn't run early enough and any needed bus connections after work would cause a rider to miss this bus. It has never been a priority route and would be difficult for residents who were less ambulatory to safely get to the stop.
In order to later develop an area of this sort to the level of 4 units (or 6 if 2 were affordable), there would need to be extensive transit corridors and much higher numbers of buses 7 days/week, esp. if there were no accommodation of vehicles or required parking on each lot. The narrow roads here would make buses passing cars coming the opposite way difficult. The elderly would be stranded if they lived in the new development and could not get their groceries or attend health appts due to the distance of the bus and the often inclement weather from Oct-May. Thus, all transportation (among other infrastructure) would need to be in place first. Promises of later adding routes or stops or of widening roads or adding sidewalks would not be soon enough to encourage less use of cars or access to needed places among the disabled or senior population.
Much of the city is at least as far from a bus stop as this and far less developable than the urban villages have been for many years in so many ways! So I am concerned (as indicated by my screen name) that development which might be quite easy for the transit hub areas will make life quite difficult for those of us that have little transit options other than cars.
Also, the increase in unit numbers/lot to 6 based upon 2 affordable units vs. lot propinquity to a transit hub with buses every 15" (as the state law has requires) seems to be based upon wishful thinking vs. the reality of 50% more houses per small divided lot, 50% more people in need for transit, and extremely undersized infrastructure to accommodate all of that (at this point in time).
The only way around all of that would be a huge expenditure before the lots are even platted (or divided), and I am wondering where all of that would come from. Yes, eventually the lots and units would generate high levels of property taxes but in this case, that would be AFTER they were created...that's too late to be used for new residents.
It's possible that I have missed something about the generating of high levels of financing that must appear before this dream can be safely and fully realized. I appreciate your listening and your concern.

No more "road diets" our roads look like they are drawn out like a drunken toddler. No more priority for bike lanes, they can use the trails, only 2% of them follow laws as it is. The bike lanes downtown are a death trap that give cyclists a false sense of security. If cyclists want their own lanes, they can register and license their bikes and also carry insurance.

I'd like to see the comments "for" and "against" the Holly St Bike lane project. It seems the community is deeply against the changes made to Holly Street. Please listen to the citizens and return Holly to 3 lanes of vehicle traffic. I'm a cyclist and use all the other roads for cycling through downtown (not Holly St). I think the Holly St changes have hindered the downtown infrastructure. We are a growing city. Lets allow traffic to flow freely and reduce downtown congestion. Thanks.

Please consider how to engineer safer road bike lanes and especially greenways that connect throughout Bellingham to create safe biking access everywhere.

We definitely need more protected bike lanes. State Street could be an incredible boulevard if it had continuous sidewalks and protected bike lanes and slowed down traffic. An emphasis on walkability, bikeability and public transit that all connects safely is really what I hope the priority will be.

Paratransit is my only form of transportation. I live in the Cordata area. I am unable to attend multiple classes and appointments due to the limited evening hours. If the Paratransit bus could pick me up just 15 minutes later (8:45 PM rather than 8:30PM) I would be able to go to these classes for treating C-PTSD, and anxiety. I know many others like me in similar situations. We need buses to be out just a little later for evenings. It would make a huge difference. There are many people who drive to these classes individually, who would take a bus if they could.