City Council Gives Go-ahead for Bike Lanes + Enhancements on Northwest/Elm/Dupont!

On Monday, May 9 the Bellingham City Council voted 7-0 (see Agenda Follow Up) to direct city staff to prepare plans for bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements on Northwest/Elm/Dupont between I-5 and Whatcom Creek. Council allocated $20,000 for the designs, which are to be done this year so the lanes (and other enhancements -- see below!) can be installed in 2012.

City staff prepared a report to Council (PDF linked from Meeting Agenda) on the issue. The report makes clear that the reason this project can't be done in 2011 is because it's not just a matter of painting lines on the road. As envisioned by city staff, this project also includes recommendations from the Fountain District Urban Plan and the City's Comprehensive Plan to add curb bulb-outs at a couple intersections, possibly an enhanced crosswalk (the flashing kind) at Elm & W. Connecticut, and maybe landscaping and street trees along Elm, and several other pedestrian improvements elsewhere along the route. Dealing with all the bus stops is apparently also going to take some doing.

The report includes all the comments submitted at the open house in writing, and via email & phone. Email/phone comments came in 92 for bike lanes, 21 against. Written comments were transcribed but not categorized.

Also noted in the report is the results of recent 4-hour bike counts along the corridor:

• Northwest at McLeod:
• 2008 -- 129
• 2009 -- 67
• 2010 -- 92
• Dupont at F St.:
• 2009 -- 135
• 2010 -- 165

(Update: Counts come from the Washington State Documentation Project, whose reports are at WSDOT's biking site.)
Here's an article from the Herald about the vote.

I'm very happy to see the Council move forward with this proposal. Bike lanes, bulb-outs, etc., as well as less on-street parking, should make this route safer. Making it safer should increase the number of people willing to bike on it. That is a Good Thing.