Real Briefings
Transportation Commission
The Transportation Commission received two major presentations focused on regional safety planning and local transportation demand management. Hugh Conroy from the Whatcom Council of Governments presented the comprehensive Safety Action Plan, a federally funded initiative identifying high-crash corridors throughout Whatcom County and recommending interventions beyond traditional infrastructure solutions. The plan, scheduled for COG board approval the following day, enables the region to apply for up to $25 million in federal implementation funding for safety projects. Meanwhile, city staff sought commission support for Bellingham's new Commute Trip Reduction Plan covering 2025-2029, a state-mandated requirement affecting 21 major employers within city limits. The CTR plan continues the existing Smart Trips program administered by COG but requires individual city compliance rather than regional coordination. Both presentations highlighted successful regional coordination while addressing new federal and state requirements that demand more localized planning approaches.
**Safety Action Plan Presentation:** No formal action taken. The commission received the presentation for informational purposes, with the plan moving to COG board approval on June 11, 2025. **CTR Plan Support:** The commission deferred action pending review of actual…
About 49% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
The Safety Action Plan represents a significant shift toward addressing human behavioral factors in traffic safety rather than relying solely on engineering solutions. Hugh Conroy explained the plan identifies 21 high-injury network corridors countywide based on fatal and serious injury crash data from 2014-2023. The prioritization system weights crash frequency (50 points), social vulnerability index (20 points), active transportation involvement (15 points), transit stop density (5 points), and recent safety investments (5 points). I-5 ranks first with the most crashes, while corridors like Woburn Street scored higher due to equity considerations and pedestrian/bicycle involv…
About 49% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
**Andrea (WWU Associate Director of Active Transportation):** Requested adding regional bus ridership goals beyond general "non-driver rates" and identifying major destination sites like schools, hospitals, and universities as priority infrastructure areas. Noted WWU's 44% drive-alone rate significantly below regional averages and suggested stronger goals given current performance levels.
**Hugh Conroy (WCOG Director):** Emphasized the Safety Action Plan's community engagement success, including 3,500 survey responses and 500 follow-up interviews. Highlighted public support for increased enforcement visibility but opposition to higher penalties or lower blood alcohol limits. Noted federal requirem…
About 50% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
**Hugh Conroy, on safety approach philosophy:**
"The trends are so bad with the increases in fatal and serious injury crashes that the traditional interventions for like roadway and infrastructure and engineering based solutions need to continue. But they're not enough."
**Andrea (WWU), on ambitious goal-setting:**
"For me it provides no goals because it is far above what I'm already doing with my community. And I think that we can do better than what we're already meeting the goals set for t…
About 50% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
**June 11, 2025:** COG Transportation Policy Board votes on Safety Action Plan approval **June 26, 2025:** Deadline for federal Safe Streets for All implementation grant applications (minimum $2 million projects) **July 1, 2025:** WSDOT deadline for CTR plan implementation (flexible according to staff) **July Transportation Commission Meeting:** CTR plan returns…
About 49% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
The Safety Action Plan formally establishes a data-driven, equity-weighted prioritization system for regional safety investments, moving beyond traditional crash-count rankings. The plan enables potential federal funding access of $2.5-25 million for implementation projects focusing on behavioral interventions alongside infrastructure improvements.
Bellingham's CTR planning shifts from regional coordination to individual j…
About 49% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
# A Transportation Commission Seeks Direction on Safety and Sustainability
On a warm June evening at the Pacific Street Operations Center, Bellingham's Transportation Commission convened for what would become an information-rich session on regional safety planning and commute trip reduction. The meeting, originally scheduled to be chaired by Addie Candib, shifted leadership to Vice Chair Tim Wilder early on, as Candib participated virtually for only the first ten minutes before departing.
The commission, with six members present and one excused, settled in for presentations that would span from crash data analysis to employer transportation programs, touching on everything from social vulnerability indices to the gamification of trip logging.
## Regional Safety Takes Center Stage
Hugh Conroy, Director of the Whatcom Council of Governments, arrived with a comprehensive overview of the region's newly completed Safety Action Plan — a document born from federal requirements but shaped by local crash data and community input. The plan represents the culmination of a federally-funded effort under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, designed to implement the 2022 national highway safety strategy at the local level.
"This was 2023 when we applied," Conroy explained, describing how the region sought planning funds to meet new federal requirements. "City of Bellingham had a pretty robust safety planning document and things. But this program had a lot of other requirements, mostly dealing with equity."
The Safety Action Plan's approach differed from traditional traffic safety efforts by emphasizing what Conroy called "human factors" — moving beyond traditional engineering solutions to address behavioral issues through partnerships with law enforcement, public health, education, and private sector entities. The plan required commitment to "Target Zero," the aspirational goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries, though Conroy noted the state has backed away from…
About 14% shown — sign up free to read the rest
Sign up free →
### Meeting Overview
The Bellingham Transportation Commission met on June 10, 2025, with Vice Chair Tim Wilder chairing due to the chair's absence. The meeting focused primarily on two major presentations: the Whatcom Council of Governments' Safety Action Plan and the city's Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Plan for 2025-2029.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**High Injury Network:** The top 21 roadway corridors in Whatcom County identified as having the most fatal and serious injury crashes over a 10-year period, used to prioritize safety investments.
**Social Vulnerability Index (SVI):** A geographic analysis tool that identifies census tract areas with higher concentrations of low-income residents, historically underrepresented ethnicities, and limited English proficiency to prioritize equitable transportation investments.
**Safe Streets for All (SS4A):** A federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation that provides planning and implementation funding for safety projects, requiring completion of a Safety Action Plan.
**Target Zero:** Washington State's aspirational goal to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on roadways, focusing on data-driven safety interventions.
**Commute Trip Reduction (CTR):** A Washington State law requiring employers with 100+ full-time employees arriving between 6-9 AM to implement programs encouraging alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle commuting.
**Smart Trips Program:** The regional transportation demand management program administered by WCOG that helps employers comply with CTR requirements while promoting sustainable transportation options.
**Drive Alone Rate:** The percentage of commute trips made by single-occupancy vehicles, currently measured at 60.89% for affected employers in Whatcom County.
**Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO):** The Whatcom Council of Governments serves as the federally-required regional planning body for transportation investments in urbanized areas over 50,000 population.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Tim Wilder | Transportation Commission Vice Chair (chairing) |
| Hugh Conroy | Director, Whatcom Council of Governments |
| Dylan Balliett | City of Bellingham staff |
| Andrea Ryder | Associate Director of Active Transportation, Western Washington University |
| Michelle Grandy | WCOG staff (online) |
| Emily Moran | WCOG staff (online) |
| Addie Candib |…
About 50% shown — premium members only
Upgrade to premium →