Bike Bellevue aims to implement bicycle network improvements in the city's urban core — including Downtown, Wilburton and BelRed. The goal of Bike Bellevue is to enhance the city’s multimodal transportation system and help make it safer and more equitable, sustainable and accessible for everyone.
Bike Bellevue is the next step in improving the safety, connectivity and comfort of the bicycle network in the city. It builds on planning undertaken through the 2009 Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Plan, the 2016 Bicycle Rapid Implementation Program, the 2020 Vision Zero Strategic Plan and the 2022 Mobility Implementation Plan. These past efforts informed the council-approved project principles for Bike Bellevue.
How to get involved
Bike Bellevue is scheduled to be discussed next at the Transportation Commission meeting on June 11, 2024. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in room 1E-113 at Bellevue City Hall, and virtually via Zoom.
Background
In a 2017 online questionnaire, 57% of respondents reported feeling unsafe riding a bicycle in Downtown, and 62% indicated they would ride a bike downtown more often if streets had safe and comfortable bike lanes. People bicycling and driving both reported feeling most comfortable traveling along bike lanes physically separated from the driving lanes.
In November 2022, the City Council adopted the 2023-2029 Capital Investment Program that includes the Growth Corridor High Comfort Bicycle Network Implementation (PW-W/B-85), also known as Bike Bellevue. It provides $4.5 million to design and implement rapid build bicycle infrastructure on existing streets in the Downtown, Wilburton and BelRed neighborhoods.
Bike Bellevue DRAFT Design Concepts Guide
The DRAFT Design Concepts Guide supports the Transportation Commission’s evaluation of the corridor designs. The guide serves as the project reference document as staff coordinates with the public, community groups, businesses, institutions, and other agencies to ensure that Bike Bellevue supports the city’s land use and transportation vision. The guide is expected to evolve over the course of the project to account for new insights and project refinements informed by technical analysis and public input. Future updates to the guide will be available on this webpage.
Bike Bellevue DRAFT Design Concepts Guide, November 2023
Project principles
The council approved project principles are the Transportation Commission’s guide for Bike Bellevue.
Safety: Reduce the frequency and severity of crashes and minimize conflicts between roadway users through bikeway design.
Connectivity: Implement a connected network of bicycle lanes that facilitate access to major destinations.
Comfort: Design bicycle lanes that maximize separation between motor vehicles and people bicycling on streets with higher speed limits and more vehicle traffic.
Evaluation: Use a data informed approach to evaluate impacts to all modes of travel and design the program to maximize the mobility of all modes.
Coordination: Coordinate transportation and land use efforts underway in Bellevue to ensure equity and sustainability outcomes are aligned.
Partnerships: Pursue partnership opportunities to advance the implementation of bicycle projects.
Engagement: Engage community stakeholders in setting the priorities for Bike Bellevue investments.
Equity: Promote equity and inclusion in the development and delivery of bicycle projects.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How was the area for Bike Bellevue determined?
Major capital projects and levy-supported projects are implementing bikeways in Bellevue’s downtown, Wilburton and BelRed neighborhoods; however, gaps in the network remain that limit access to and the utility of these investments. The neighborhoods in this project area collectively represent just 8.5% of the city geography but account for 52% of citywide transit usage, 65% of citywide jobs, 36% of citywide "high-injury network" and 34% of the city’s pedestrian and bicyclists involved in fatal and serious injury crashes.
Urban core neighborhoods in Bellevue are, by far, the fastest growing areas of the city and are preparing for 67,000 new jobs and 33,000 new residents by 2035 (Source: BKRCast). Anchoring this growth are five new East Link light rail stations, three planned frequent transit network routes, and the Eastrail regional trail. Completion of these transportation projects and realization of the land use vision will facilitate greater use of non-auto travel options in the Bike Bellevue project area.
What types of bicycle projects will be implemented on streets?
Bike Bellevue will include rapid-build bicycle improvements that will fill network gaps in the project area. Rapid-build projects use low-cost materials that can be quickly installed on existing streets with no or minimal impact to existing curbs and drainage.
How is Bike Bellevue different from past bikeway projects?
Past efforts to advance bicycle facility improvements along individual corridors have proved to be challenging, involving time-consuming and costly consultative processes that ultimately delivered only incremental segments of the broader vision for a safe and connected network. A coordinated approach to implementing network improvements — with a single engagement process through which stakeholders arrive at a clearly articulated strategy for investments over multiple years — will help the city achieve its goals more efficiently and effectively.
How will the Bike Bellevue projects be funded?
The 2023-2029 Capital Investment Program (CIP) allocated $4.5 million for the planning, public engagement and implementation of Bike Bellevue. Staff are pursuing other funding sources, such as grants, which would allow more improvements across the network to be implemented.
How will Bike Bellevue projects be implemented on existing streets?
Bike Bellevue funds rapid-build projects that are implemented on existing streets with no or minimal impact to existing curbs and drainage, which will be addressed as appropriate on a location-by-location basis. An estimated 5.9 miles of motor vehicle travel lanes will be repurposed to implement the 15.11 miles of bike lanes referenced in the Bellevue DRAFT Design Concepts Guide, November 2023. Of these 15.11 miles of bike lanes: 11.17 miles will result from converting 5.9 miles of travel lanes to bike lanes, 2.06 miles of bike lanes will be added while retaining the travel lanes, and 1.88 miles of bike lanes will be upgraded, while retaining the travel lanes. These numbers reference the entire length of each corridor (including the centers of the intersections). The calculations are based on the descriptions of the concept designs in the Bike Bellevue DRAFT Design Concepts Guide, November 2023. The project descriptions do not capture small deviations in the design along the corridor (e.g., the bike lane on one side of the street starts near, but not at the intersection, or a limited section of curbside parking removed). The two-way bike lanes are counted twice to account for bike lanes in each direction.
Community meeting materials
- City Council (April 23, 2024): Memo
- Transportation Commission (April 11, 2024): Agenda Memo, Bike Bellevue February emails, Bike Bellevue March emails
- City Council (March 25, 2024): Agenda Memo, Bike Bellevue Project Area, CIP Project Description (PW-W/B-85)
- February and March Transportation Commission Correspondence: Emails and Letters
- Post December 14 Transportation Commission Correspondence: Emails and Letters not in support (December 8, 2023-January 31, 2024), Emails and Letters in support (December 8, 2023-January 31, 2024), Emails and letters requesting additional information (December 8, 2023-January 31, 2024)
- Transportation Commission (December 14, 2023): Agenda Memo, Project Principles, DRAFT What We Heard: Konveio Engagement Feedback for Bike Bellevue, Emails and letters supporting Bike Bellevue (11/9/2023 and 12/6/2023), Emails and letters opposing Bike Bellevue (11/9/2023 and 12/6/2023), Emails and letters requesting information (11/9/2023 and 12/6/2023), Staff responses to emails and letters (11/9/2023 and 12/6/2023), Draft Community Engagement Plan, updated, Focus Group and Stakeholder Interview Recruitment Flyer, Emails and letters supporting Bike Bellevue (12/7/2023 to 12/13/2023), Emails and letters opposing Bike Bellevue (12/7/2023 to 12/13/2023), Presentation
- Transportation Commission — Special Meeting (December 14, 2023): Meeting Materials, Presentation
- Eastside Easy Rider Collaborative (November 28, 2023): Presentation
- Transportation Commission (November 9, 2023): Agenda Memo, Project Principles, DRAFT Design Concepts Guide November 2023, Staff responses to emails between 9/25/2023 and 10/27/2023, Emails received between 10/24/2023 and 10/30/2023, Draft Community Engagement Plan, updated, Emails in opposition to Bike Bellevue received between 10/31/2023 and 11/08/2023, Emails in support of Bike Bellevue received between 10/31/2023 and 11/08/2023, Presentation
- Bellevue Commuter Trip Reduction/Employee Transportation Coordinator Networking Meeting (October 25, 2023): Presentation
- Bellevue Chamber of Commerce PLUSH Committee (October 24, 2023): Presentation
- Bellevue Chamber Transportation Committee (September 27, 2023): Presentation
- Eastside Easy Rider Collaborative (September 26, 2023): Presentation
- Bellevue Downtown Association Transportation Committee (September 20, 2023): Presentation
- Transportation Commission (September 14, 2023): Agenda Memo, DRAFT Project Area Map, Bike Bellevue Project Principles, DRAFT Design Concepts Guide, September 2023, Draft Community Engagement Plan, Presentation
- Transportation Commission (May 25, 2023): Agenda Memo, Draft Community Engagement Plan, Presentation
- Bellevue Youth Council and Action Team Meeting (May 17, 2023): Presentation
- Transportation Commission (May 11, 2023): Agenda Memo, Project Principles, Project Area Map, CIP Project Description (PW-W/B-85), Background on Bicycle Planning and Implementation in Bellevue, Draft Community Engagement Plan, Presentation
- Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee (April 6, 2023): Presentation
- City Council (March 27, 2023): Agenda Memo, Project Area Map, Project Principles, CIP Project Description (PW-W/B-85), Presentation
Project materials
- Bike Bellevue focus groups and interviews flyer (December 2023)
- Bike Bellevue poster (September 2023)
- Bike Bellevue mailer in English, 繁體中文, 简体中文, Español, Русский, తెలుగు (September 2023)
- Bike Bellevue flyer (April 2023)