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Real Briefings

Transportation Commission

BEL-TRC-2024-10-08 October 08, 2024 Transportation Commission City of Bellingham
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The Transportation Commission conducted an extensive review of the revised Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP), discussing refinements to the community engagement process, project evaluation criteria, and program naming. Staff presented a comprehensive framework for addressing residential street safety concerns through a four-year neighborhood rotation system, with capacity for studying up to 25 locations annually. The commission provided detailed feedback on balancing objective scoring criteria with community input, particularly regarding school walking routes and the new Level of Traffic Stress evaluation metric. The Whatcom Transportation Authority presented significant 2025 service changes, including new routes to the waterfront, expanded service to the Lummi reservation, and increased frequency on hospital routes. However, WTA faces operational challenges with electric buses that cannot navigate certain tight turns, forcing service reductions to Birch Bay Village from 11 to 4 daily trips.

**Minutes Approval:** Approved 6-0 with 2 abstentions (9/10/2024 Transportation Commission meeting minutes). **NTSP Program Updates:** No formal votes taken, but commission provided extensive feedback on program framework, evaluation criteria, and community engagement st…

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**NTSP Evaluation Criteria:** The commission extensively discussed replacing the "cut-through traffic" criterion with "Level of Traffic Stress," a holistic metric that considers lane configuration, speeds, volumes, and pedestrian/bicycle facility separation. Staff explained this change provides better project differentiation and addresses comfort alongside safety concerns. **School Walking Route Scoring:** Significant discussion centered on whether projects should receive points for being "on" designated walking routes versus serving areas "near" schools. Commissioner concerns highl…
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**Transportation Commission:** Strongly supported the NTSP framework while requesting clarifications on program flow, community engagement specificity, and evaluation criteria. Commissioners emphasized the importance of transparency in how locations are screened and prioritized. **WTA Staff (Mary Peterson):** Presented service changes as balancing increased frequenc…
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**Shane Sullivan, on NTSP capacity:** "We decided, just stick with one number. And I think that up to is maybe where you're getting hooked up. But I think that it's we're not going to do more than 25." **Commissioner Dennis, on school walking routes:** "The walk routes have to be on infrastructure. Let's see. If they're on a walk route, we've they're on a walk route because they've met this criteria. If they're not on a walk route. Then they don't meet the criteria." **Mary Peterson (WTA), o…
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**NTSP Finalization:** Staff will return in November with final program framework incorporating commission feedback, including refined language on community engagement, evaluation criteria, and program flow. **Pilot Project Updates:** Comprehensive data analysis for Eldridge Avenue and Holly Street pilots will be presented in November, with final recommendations…

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**NTSP Program Structure:** Program framework significantly refined with clearer timelines, evaluation criteria including Level of Traffic Stress metric, and four-category project classification system (Safety, Capital, Checklist, Community). **Holly Street Pilot Configuration:** Traffic signal ti…
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# Bellingham Transportation Commission Navigates NTSP Refinements and Major Transit Changes On a crisp October evening at the Pacific Street Operations Center, the Bellingham Transportation Commission gathered for what proved to be a comprehensive examination of the city's evolving transportation landscape. The meeting touched on everything from the intricate details of neighborhood traffic safety to major transit service changes that could reshape how residents move throughout the region. ## Fine-Tuning the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program The evening's most detailed discussion centered on the ongoing development of the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP), with Transportation Engineer Shane Sullivan presenting the latest refinements to what has become a multi-meeting evolution of this community-focused initiative. Commissioner Tim Wilder immediately zeroed in on a critical piece of language that caught his attention. "The program limits the number of sub locations to a maximum of 25 project per year," he read from the draft document. "My understanding was that this was a minimum or an estimate of what our bandwidth was gonna be per year, not the maximum that was confusing me." Sullivan clarified that the "up to 25" language was based on current staffing levels and the three-month window available for conducting studies. "We decided, just stick with one number," he explained. "I think that up to is maybe where you're getting hooked up. But I think that it's we're not going to do more than 25." The discussion revealed the careful balancing act staff faces in setting realistic expectations while maintaining flexibility. As Sullivan noted, "By setting like a commitment level, we're gonna commit to doing that. But we don't want to set ourselves up for a situation where we aren't able to meet the community's expectations." A more fundamental issue emerged …
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Transportation Commission met on October 8, 2024, to discuss several major transportation initiatives. The meeting focused on finalizing the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP) framework, reviewing proposed Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) service changes for 2025, and receiving updates on ongoing pilot projects. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP):** A systematic approach to addressing traffic safety concerns on residential streets through community engagement, data collection, and targeted interventions like speed humps and traffic circles. **Level of Traffic Stress (LTS):** A holistic measurement system that evaluates pedestrian and bicycle facility comfort by considering factors like traffic volume, speeds, lane configuration, and infrastructure separation. **Point-to-Cost Ratio (P/C):** A calculation method used to prioritize NTSP projects by comparing each location's safety score to its implementation cost, ensuring efficient resource allocation. **Checklist Projects:** Simple traffic safety issues that can be addressed quickly through routine maintenance, such as trimming vegetation that blocks sight lines, without requiring study or additional funding. **Community Projects:** Non-engineering solutions that help improve neighborhood safety and connectivity, including street trees, murals, block parties, and educational programs. **Microtransit:** A form of on-demand public transportation using smaller vehicles to serve areas where traditional fixed-route transit is less efficient. **Social Vulnerability Index:** A measure used to identify communities that may need additional outreach and support, helping ensure equitable program implementation. **Electric Bus Turning Radius:** The larger circular space needed for electric buses to make turns compared to diesel buses, creating operational challenges on certain routes. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Addie Candib | Transportation Commission Chair | | Tim Wilder | Transportation Commission Vice Chair | | Shane Sullivan |…
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Transportation & Infrastructure Public Safety Government Operations Bellingham School District City Council Fhwa Transportation Commission Western Washington University Wta Addie Candib Betty Sanchez Caroline Dietzgen Cindy Dennis Dylan Casper Jacki Quinn Jamin Agosti Joel Pfundt Katy Scherrer Keith Moore Mary Peterson Shane Sullivan Tim Wilder Ada Compliance Bike Infrastructure Community Engagement Eldridge Pilot Electric Buses Holly Street Pilot Level Traffic Stress Neighborhood Traffic Safety Public Safety School Walking Routes Transit Service Changes Transportation Policy Waterfront Development