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Downtown Bike Infrastructure Improvement Series


The City has funding from the Neighborhood Safety, Connectivity, and Congestion Levy, approved by voters in November 2016, to implement bicycle facility improvements citywide. As part of the City’s broader engagement with the community, the BDA will provide input on how to improve bicycle accommodations in Downtown.  

Overview

The BDA has asked the Bellevue Transportation Department to engage in a timely discussion about how to make Downtown a comfortable, safe, and attractive place for people to bike. This effort is part of the City’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Implementation Initiative (PBII), which was commenced by Council in February 2015 to advance projects and programs identified in the 2009 Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Plan.

Scope of Work

At these meetings, the BDA Transportation Committee will explore the following three topics:

  1. Bike Share – Privately funded, free-floating, stationless bike share services recently began operating in Seattle, and some of those companies are interested in expanding to Bellevue. The BDA will consider whether, when, and how Bellevue could expand mobility options to include these or other bike share services.

  2. Demonstration Bikeway Project – The BDA will consider options for introducing the first high comfort bikeway to Downtown. Using temporary and low-cost treatments, this demonstration will provide a real-world opportunity to evaluate how state-of-the-art bikeway design concepts fit and function in the Bellevue context.
  3. Downtown Bicycle Network – The City will undertake a rigorous alternatives assessment in 2018 that weighs the benefits and trade-offs for all modes associated with implementing a connected, protected network of bicycle facilities in Downtown. The BDA will help to identify which corridors could be included in that assessment and inform the principles used to balance the needs of all street users.

Schedule & Process

MEETING 1
Thursday, September 28, 2017

  • City Staff will introduce the Committee to Bellevue’s plans, policies, goals, and ongoing initiative to implement a connected network of safe bicycle facilities that attracts more people to travel by bike. City Staff will address why this is important, how other cities have been successful, and how this will benefit people who live, work, and play in Downtown.

  • City Staff will describe the opportunities and issues associated with introducing bike share to Downtown and seek initial feedback from the BDA Transportation Committee about interest and concerns.
  • City Staff will identify potential corridors where a demonstration bikeway project may be considered, describe how this might fit into a broader Downtown Bicycle Network, and seek initial feedback from the BDA Transportation Committee on preferred location(s) and limits for the demonstration project.

MEETING 2
Thursday, October 26, 2017

  • Based on Committee feedback from 9/28, City Staff will facilitate an in-depth discussion about how a demonstration bikeway project could be pursued, including design alternatives, tradeoff considerations, trial period length, and measures to evaluate performance.
  • City Staff will facilitate an in-depth discussion about which corridors could be included in an alternatives assessment of potential Downtown Bicycle Network configurations and seek feedback from the BDA Transportation Committee on principles that inform how to address situations involving tradeoffs.
  • City Staff will address questions and concerns about bike share and provide a draft framework for permitting private bike share services to operate in Bellevue for the BDA Transportation Committee to review and provide feedback on.

MEETING 3
Thursday, November 16, 2017

  • City Staff will return to address any unanswered questions.
  • Transportation Committee will conduct an internal review and discussion, followed by driving consensus on a recommendation regarding the three items of scoped work. The recommendation will be presented to the BDA Board of Directors at the 12/19 meeting.  The Board will vote on a position that will be communicated to Bellevue Transportation Commission and City Council.  

MEETING 4
Thursday, December 7, 2017

  • Transportation Committee will refine the language and points regarding the demonstration bikeway recommendation to the Board.  

Meeting Materials