Bellevue Transportation Commission Meeting - July 10, 2026

The Transportation Commission met on July 10, 2026, to elect officers, hear public comments, and discuss updates to the Mobility Implementation Plan (MIP) and neighborhood area plans for Factoria and Eastgate. The commission addressed speed limit changes, the speed limit factor used in pedestrian/bicycle level of traffic stress, and volume-to-capacity (V/C) performance targets on regional corridors and freeway access intersections.

Consent Calendar

• The commission unanimously approved the agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting.
• Staff reported that the bike network project on Lake Washington Boulevard, 100th Avenue Northeast, and Northeast First (including a 20 mph speed limit reduction) is imminent, with construction expected to start in early July.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Diana Leo (Bellevue Chamber) supported updating bicycle and pedestrian level of traffic stress measures but expressed serious concerns about relaxing volume-to-capacity (V/C) performance targets, called it a "last resort." She urged the city to exhaust alternatives and bring back engineering evaluations before any target changes.
• Maria Frost (Kemper Development) supported eliminating the 20% speed limit multiplier for pedestrian/bicycle calculations but strongly opposed weakening V/C targets on regional corridors, arguing it "papers over the problem." She asked for documented evaluations of operational alternatives and cost-benefit analysis.
• David Bonathan (Maidenaue resident) described severe speeding and noise on Lake Washington Boulevard, calling it a "24/7 race track." He requested speed enforcement, fixed cameras, sound enforcement cameras, and a 20 mph speed limit extension.
• Scott Lampy (Maidenaue Bay Neighbors Association) supported the proposed speed limit changes and requested extending the 20 mph zone one block to 99th Avenue and Lake Washington Boulevard for safety.
• Vic Bishop (former commissioner) criticized the city for changing standards rather than adding capacity, citing data showing 37 failing intersections in 2030 reduced to 8 by changing standards. He urged the commission to prioritize capacity improvements.
• Alex Simmerman (speaker) delivered a rant against the city and council, accusing them of being criminals and idiots, and claimed nothing will improve traffic.
• Joe (online) condemned Simmerman's comments as racist and sexist, and encouraged multimodal transportation like e-scooters and bikes.
• Heidi Dean (Newport Hills) criticized the Factoria and Eastgate neighborhood area plans for focusing on biking, walking, and transit while ignoring traffic congestion. She stated the surveys were biased toward non-vehicle modes and urged the commission to maintain V/C standards and seek real solutions.

Discussion Items

• Election of Officers: Vice Chair McGill was elected Chair without opposition after no other nominations. Commissioner Williams became Vice Chair after Commissioner Stash un-nominated himself. The commission thanked past Chair Stash for his service.
• Factoria and Eastgate Neighborhood Area Plans (NAP): Senior Planner Zach Lucan presented the draft policies and concept maps. Commissioners questioned the representativeness of community engagement (Commissioner Kilman wanted quantifiable metrics) and noted that surveys appeared biased toward non-vehicle modes. Commissioner Ting suggested adding all modes in future surveys and using affinity diagrams. Commissioner Williams (Eastgate resident) found the open-ended responses accurate. Commissioner Rubin raised safety concerns near shelters. Commissioner Welcher noted the lack of vehicular focus in the vision statements. Staff acknowledged feedback and will incorporate it into final drafts for the Planning Commission.
• 2026 Mobility Implementation Plan Update (MIP): Kevin McDonald and Chris Breland led four topics:
  1. Speed Limit Changes: Council direction to lower speed limits on many arterials. The commission agreed to update MIP maps, tables, and figures accordingly (no objection).
  2. Speed Limit Factor (1.2x): Staff proposed changing from the current 1.2 multiplier to the adopted speed limit for calculating pedestrian/bicycle level of traffic stress, citing data showing the factor overestimates actual speeds. Commissioners asked for further analysis, including possibly a 1.1 factor or a segmented approach (e.g., downtown vs. open roads). Direction given to return with analysis using adopted speed limit and alternatives.
  3. Regional Corridors (e.g., 148th, Bellevue Way, Coal Creek Parkway): Staff sought direction to study V/C performance targets on corridors that carry heavy regional traffic but are in PMA3 (residential areas). Commissioners strongly opposed lowering standards, with Commissioner Ting calling it "disingenuous" and Commissioner Williams stating it feels like "lowering the bar." The commission directed staff to analyze capacity improvements and trade-offs, but not to change the standard at this time. Commissioner Kilman saw no need for further study because the standard should be upheld.
  4. Freeway Access Intersections: Similar to regional corridors, staff asked for direction to study V/C gaps at intersections serving freeways. The commission gave the same direction: analyze options and trade-offs, but do not lower the standard.

Key Outcomes

• Officers Elected: Chair McGill and Vice Chair Williams for the coming year.
• Speed Limit Maps: Staff to update MIP maps with council-adopted speed limits and return in July (likely September meeting).
• Speed Limit Factor: Staff to analyze the effect of using adopted speed limit (and possibly 1.1 or segmented alternatives) and report back.
• Regional Corridors & Freeway Intersections: Staff to perform analysis of capacity improvements and options, but the commission affirmed it will not lower V/C standards at this time. Results expected in Q3.
• Neighborhood Area Plans: Staff will incorporate commission feedback on engagement and multimodal balance before final drafts go to Planning Commission later in July.