In May 2024, the City of Bellingham piloted a new bike lane on Holly Street from Ellis to Bay Street to improve safety, mobility, and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians. We collected community feedback on the pilot project to help inform the final design for a capital project. The pilot included:
- A buffered bike lane from Ellis Street to State Street
- Buffered bike lanes have a painted stripe between the bike lane and vehicle traffic. This makes a little bit of extra space for cyclists. In this project, the buffer was 3 feet wide.
- A parking protected bike lane from State Street to Bay Street
- Parking protected bike lanes have parking spaces between the bike lane and vehicle traffic, which further protects cyclists from traffic and is expected to provide a higher level. For this project, the parking protected bike lane included a painted buffer, tubular markers, and a 12-foot parking lane between the bike lane and vehicle travel lane.
- Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) along Holly Street to improve pedestrian safety
- LPIs let pedestrians start crossing the street before vehicles are given the green indication. This helps drivers see them more easily and makes it safer for pedestrians to cross, especially when cars are turning.
Project Updates 2025
Staff presented the findings of the Holly Street Bike Lane Before & After Study Report to Bellingham City Council at the January 27, 2025 meeting. The City will prepare an interim solution for the bike lane in the spring of 2025 before developing a final design for a capital project in future years.
Pilot Period:
- May – Fall 2024: Evaluate the pilot’s effectiveness through a summer season
- Winter 2024 – Spring 2025: Review and design interim solution
Lane Configurations:
- Ellis to State Street: Buffered bike lane with striped buffer zone separating cyclists from traffic
- State to Bay Street: Parking protected separated bike lane with physical barrier between parked cars and cyclists
Safety Enhancements:
- Leading Pedestrian Indicators (LPIs) at intersections for improved pedestrian and cyclist visibility while using crosswalks
- Traffic studies to analyze traffic flow and speed impacts
- Minimal changes to on-street parking availability
Traffic Flow Adjustments During Pilot Project:
- Adjusted traffic signal cycle length to accommodate slower cars and more bikes
- Added bike bend-ins to intersections with parking protected bike lane to reduce “right-hook” conflicts
- Rechannelized Holly Street from Commercial Street to Bay Street in fall 2024
- Restored this section of the street back to a left turn lane, through lane, and right turn lane
- There was a 33% increase in bike lane usage during the pilot period. On average, over 200 bikes used the Holly Street corridor daily.
- Vehicles now travel at an average of 17mph down Holly Street. This is slightly slower than before the bike lane was installed. However, travel time through the Holly Street corridor increased by only 39 seconds, to a total of 2 minutes and 33 seconds.
- Pre-installation briefings were conducted with relevant advocacy groups, local businesses, Transportation Commission, and City Council.
- An Engage Bellingham page was launched during the pilot to gather community feedback on perceived safety as a cyclist, pedestrian, and driver.
- City staff were present at downtown events to facilitate in-person feedback collection.
- Post-pilot evaluations were presented to stakeholder groups and will be used to inform the final design for a permanent bike lane installation.
Project Contact
Shane Sullivan, PE, PTOE
Transportation Engineer
Phone: (360) 778-7877
Email: spsullivan@cob.org
