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Real Briefings

Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

BEL-PWN-2025-06-23 June 23, 2025 Public Works Committee City of Bellingham 39 min
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The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved making permanent the Eldridge Avenue bike lane pilot project and adopted the city's six-year transportation improvement program. The Eldridge project, which removed parking on both sides to install buffered bike lanes between Broadway and Nequalicum Avenue, showed a 30% increase in bicycle and pedestrian usage during its one-year pilot period from April 2024 to April 2025. While the project faced community concerns about parking loss and road conditions, data showed vehicle speeds remained essentially unchanged and no new collisions occurred during the pilot period. The committee also approved the 2026-2031 Transportation Improvement Program, which includes the Rainier Avenue Bridge replacement over Chuckanut Creek. Public Works Director Joel Pfundt confirmed that FEMA has committed funding for the bridge replacement project, providing relief for residents on the other side of the bridge who have been waiting for this critical infrastructure improvement. Both items will advance to the full City Council for final approval at the evening meeting. The decisions reflect the city's commitment to expanding multimodal transportation options while maintaining essential infrastructure investments throughout Bellingham's transportation network.

**Eldridge Avenue Non-Motorized Pilot Project (AB 24578)** - **Vote:** 3-0 to recommend permanent retention of improvements - **Staff Recommendation:** Retain improvements based on data showing increased usage and safety benefits - **Key Details:** Pilot ran from April 2024 to April 2025; removed parking on both sides to install 5-foot buffered bike lanes; added four enhanced crossings with rapid rectangular flashing beacons - **Impact:** Makes permanent the conversion of parking lanes to p…

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**Eldridge Avenue Project Evaluation** The committee reviewed comprehensive data from the pilot project showing mixed but generally positive results. The project achieved its primary goals of increasing bicycle and pedestrian usage (30% increase in both categories when comparing June 2023 to June 2024) while maintaining vehicle safety. Pre-project average speeds were 29.4 mph, dropping slightly to 28.9 mph post-project, with more significant reductions in excessive speeding (5+ mph over limit reduced from 43% to 37% of drivers). However, the project revealed significant infrastructure challenges. The underlying road consists of old concrete beneath the asphalt surface, with utility trenches creating poor riding conditions for cyclists. The pavement condition emerged as a major complaint from survey respondents. Public Works acknowledged this issue but noted that any major reconstruction would need to coordinate with planned utility replacements, particularly sewer mains dating from the 1890s to 1918. **Parking Impact Assessment** The …
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**Public Works Staff:** Strongly recommended making the Eldridge pilot permanent based on safety data, increased usage by vulnerable users, and successful network connections to bike boulevards. Acknowledged pavement condition concerns but emphasized the project's success in its primary transportation objectives. **Transportation Commission:** Previously voted to endorse removal of parking on Eldridge Avenue and making the project improvements permanent, providing professional transportation planning support for staff recommendations. **Survey Respondents:** 59% of all respondents …
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**Joel Pfundt, on safety analysis:** "What we find is that there isn't necessarily a documented safety issue that would need to be addressed, not that we can't take action like we did, but that's just to give you context." **Staff member, on usage increases:** "So June to June is about a 30% increase for both bike and peds." **Council Member Anderson, on parking concerns:** "I imagine part of the PED increase is people having to park across the street and then walk. So there's probably no wa…
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**Immediate Actions:** - Both items advance to City Council evening meeting for final votes - Transportation Improvement Program must be submitted to state by July 1st deadline **Eldridge Avenue Follow-up:** - Public Works will continue monitoring the corridor conditions - Staff will evaluate pavement condition against utility replacement priorities - Council will receive updates when major utility/reconstruction project timeline becomes clear - Potential consideration of permanent protected bike lanes whe…

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**Immediate Changes:** - Eldridge Avenue bike lane pilot project transitions from temporary to permanent status - City's six-year transportation capital plan officially adopted with state deadline compliance **Policy Implications:** - Establishes precedent for data-driven evaluation of transportation pilot projects - Confirms city's commitment to bicycle infrastructure even when facing neighborhood opposition - Demonstrates integration of federal disaster funding (FEMA) with local transportation…
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## Meeting Overview On a quiet Monday morning in June, three Bellingham City Council members gathered in the familiar chambers at City Hall to make what amounted to a significant decision about the future of one of the city's most watched infrastructure experiments. The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee meeting that began at 10:30 a.m. was crisp and businesslike, running just 39 minutes, but the weight of the decisions carried implications for how Bellingham approaches transportation, neighborhood character, and the ongoing tension between cars and bicycles in a growing city. Committee Chair Hannah Stone presided over the meeting, flanked by Lisa Anderson and Jace Cotton. The agenda was lean—just two items—but the first one had been simmering in neighborhood conversations, angry emails, and policy debates for nearly three years. The Eldridge Avenue Non-Motorized Pilot Project was reaching its moment of truth. What made this meeting particularly notable was not just the decision itself, but the data-driven approach the city had taken to evaluate a contentious change. For over a year, the city had been meticulously collecting traffic counts, speed measurements, bicycle and pedestrian usage data, and community input to determine whether the experiment of removing parking and adding bike lanes on Eldridge Avenue should become permanent. The stakes were clear: this decision would signal how Bellingham balances competing demands for street space as it implements its broader vision of becoming a more bike-friendly city. ## The Eldridge Avenue Decision: From Pilot to Permanent The heart of the morning's business was straightforward in procedural terms but complex in its implications. Public Works Director Joel Pfundt and Project Engineer Jessica Bennett presented their recommendation to make permanent the changes that had transformed Eldridge Avenue between Broadway and Nequalicum Avenue. What had begun in April 2024 as a one-year pilot project—removing parking from both sides of the street and installing buffered bike lanes with enhanced pedestrian crossings—was now ready for its final evaluation. The pilot project itself told a story of measured change. Where once there had been a two-lane road with substandard seven-foot parking lanes on both sides, the city had created five-foot …
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### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Public Works and Natural Resources Committee met on June 23, 2025, to decide the fate of the one-year Eldridge Avenue bike lane pilot project and to approve the city's six-year transportation improvement program. The committee voted 3-0 to make the controversial bike lane project permanent despite ongoing parking concerns from residents. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Buffered bike lane:** A marked bicycle lane with an additional painted buffer zone and vertical delineators separating cyclists from vehicle traffic, providing extra protection beyond a standard bike lane. **Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB):** Yellow LED beacons that flash rapidly when activated by pedestrians or cyclists to alert drivers at crosswalks, significantly improving visibility and safety. **Transportation Improvement Program (TIP):** A six-year planning and funding document adopted annually that prioritizes and programs funding for city capital projects that improve and maintain transportation infrastructure. **Pilot project:** A temporary implementation of changes designed to test effectiveness and gather data before making permanent decisions, allowing for adjustments based on real-world results. **85th percentile speed:** The speed at or below which 85% of vehicles travel, commonly used in traffic engineering to set speed limits and evaluate safety conditions. **Bike boulevard:** Residential streets with shared lane markings designed to prioritize bicycle traffic while allowing vehicle access, creating comfortable cycling routes. **Pavement Management System:** A systematic approach to maintaining road surfaces based on condition ratings and prioritization, helping cities allocate limited resources effectively. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hannah Stone | Committee Chair, City Council First Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Committee Member, City Council Fifth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Committee Member, City Council At-Large | | Joel Pfundt | Public Works Director | | Jessica Bennett | Project Engineer | | Mike Wilson | Assistant Public Works Director-Engineering | ### Background Context The Eldridge Avenue pilot project emerged from the 2014 Bicycle…
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Transportation & Infrastructure Budget & Finance Government Operations AB 24578 AB 24579 Fema Public Works Transportation Commission Hannah Stone Jace Cotton Jessica Bennett Joel Pfundt Lisa Anderson Mike Wilson Bicycle Infrastructure Bridge Infrastructure Budget Finance Community Engagement Infrastructure Investment Parking Public Safety Transportation Policy Utilities