Transportation Commission

## MODULE S1: STUDY GUIDE **Meeting ID:** BEL-TRC-2025-06-10 ### 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 | Transportation Commissioner | | Cindy Dennis Kushner | Transportation Commissioner | | Jackie Glenn | Transportation Commissioner | ### Background Context The Safety Action Plan represents a significant regional effort to address rising traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Despite having relatively good safety performance compared to state averages, Whatcom County developed this comprehensive plan to access federal implementation funding and take a more systematic approach to road safety. The plan identifies specific high-crash corridors and recommends both traditional infrastructure improvements and innovative approaches addressing human behavior factors. The CTR Plan discussion reflects a administrative transition where Washington State DOT now requires individual jurisdictional plans rather than the previous regional approach. While this creates new paperwork requirements, the actual Smart Trips program that has successfully served the region for years will continue unchanged, maintaining its role as the "gold standard" for CTR administration statewide. ### What Happened — The Short Version Hugh Conroy presented WCOG's completed Safety Action Plan, highlighting crash data analysis that identified 21 high-injury network corridors and incorporated extensive community engagement through the "Whatcom Crash Test" survey. The plan prioritizes investments using crash frequency, social vulnerability, and active transportation factors, enabling applications for federal implementation funding up to $25 million per project. City staff then presented the draft CTR Plan, explaining that while the administrative structure is changing from regional to individual city plans, the successful Smart Trips program will continue operating as before. Current data shows affected employers already meeting state targets with a 60.89% drive-alone rate, well below the required 64% threshold. Commissioners requested to review the actual plan document before making a recommendation, leading to continuation of the item to the July meeting. ### What to Watch Next • Transportation Commission will review the complete CTR Plan document and ordinance in July • Federal SS4A implementation grant applications due June 26, with Bellingham planning to submit for Holly Street bike lane improvements • WCOG Policy Board expected to formally adopt the Safety Action Plan • New Transportation Commission members expected to be appointed for the July meeting ---