Eldridge Avenue Bike Lane Pilot Project

Do you live near or travel along Eldridge Ave to commute between home and work or for leisure? In preparation for a council vote on the permanent adoption of changes resulting from the project, the City is seeking community input about your experience utilizing the corridor since the Eldridge Ave Bike Lane Pilot Project was completed in April 2024. Based on post-project data (full report available here) demonstrating increased pedestrian and bicycle usage along the corridor, we recommended to City Council that improvements remain.

On June 23, 2025, the Bellingham City Council voted unanimously to make the Eldridge Avenue Pilot Project improvements permanent. Thank you for your participation and feedback. This survey and project are now closed.

Project Overview:

The Eldridge Pilot Project from Broadway to Nequalicum removed street parking on public right of way to allow for the installation of 5 ft wide marked bike lanes with 2 ft marked buffers. The project also improved four pedestrian crossings on Eldridge with marked crosswalks, rapid rectangular flashing beacons and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramp improvements. Additional improvements along Eldridge included marking all side street pedestrian crossings and installing planned connecting bike boulevards to the Eldridge bike lanes. This included Lafayette-Monroe to Meridian St, and West St to W North St (a direct route to Squalicum Park). Push buttons oriented to cyclists for activating flashing beacons were also installed on the south side.

Results from Pilot:

The City conducted pre and post project traffic studies to evaluate how the pilot project impacted traffic speed, bicycle and pedestrian usage, and parking availability along the Eldridge corridor. Below is a summary of what we found:

• Speed: Average vehicle speeds have not significantly changed with the removal of parking. We have not seen a speed increase as some residents feared. In fact, speeding greater than 5 mph or more over the posted speed limit reduced by ~5% post-project.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Usage: Comparing pre-project data on bicycle and pedestrian usage along the corridor from April and June 2023 to April and June 2024 respectively, the post-project data showed a ~30% increase in both pedestrian and bicycle usage. The stress level for bicycles and pedestrians is expected to be reduced with the buffered bicycle lanes providing separation and the enhanced crossings providing additional visibility.
• Parking: Side street parking availability remains adequate. For the residences on Eldridge farthest away from side street parking, the walk from a car parked on the nearest side street would be on average 2 minutes plus any time waiting for a gap in cars. If the side street closest to the home didn’t have parking available, walking from the next available side street would take about 3.5 minutes. Post project parking observations on Eldridge side streets from Madrona to Walnut shows that Jaeger was the only side street with an average utilization greater than 85%.

Staff Recommendations to City Council:

The post-project data indicate increased benefits, particularly to the most vulnerable users - bikes and pedestrians. Bicycle and pedestrian usage of the corridor has increased by approximately 30% post-project and average vehicle speeds have not changed significantly. In fact, the occurrence of speeding greater than 5 mph above the posted speed limit has reduced ~5% post-project. While parking reductions have impacted some residents, data show that nearby alternatives remain available. City staff recommends the improvements remain.