Holly Street Bike Lane Pilot

Starting in May, the City of Bellingham will be piloting a new bike lane on Holly Street from Ellis to Bay Street to improve safety, mobility, and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians.

The pilot will include:

  • Changes to the traffic lights to make pedestrian crossings safer
  • Protected bike lanes between Ellis Streetand State Street
  • Parking protected bike lanes between State Street and Bay Street

The bike lane installation will take away one lane of traffic through the corridor but will not result in any changes to the number of parking spots downtown.

Project Updates April 2024

On 4/9/2024, staff presented to City Council about the project. Installation will begin in mid-April and will be complete the first week of May.

Starting in May, there will be an Engage Bellingham page available for community members to give feedback on the project.

Pilot Period: May – Fall 2024 to evaluate effectiveness through a summer season.

Lane Configurations:

Ellis to State St.: Buffered bike lane with striped buffer zone separating cyclists from traffic.

State to Bay St.: Parking protected separated bike lane with physical barrier between parked cars and cyclists (maximized safety).

Traffic Flow:

Safety Enhancements:

Leading Pedestrian Indicators (LPIs) at intersections for improved pedestrian & cyclist visibility during crosswalks.

Traffic studies to analyze traffic flow and speed impacts.

Reduced driving lanes: 2 lanes (Ellis to Commercial), 1 lane (Commercial to Bay) to accommodate bike lanes.

No changes to on-street parking availability.

Pre-installation briefings will be conducted with relevant advocacy groups, local businesses, Transportation Commission, and City Council.

An EngageBellingham page will be launched during the pilot to gather community feedback on perceived safety (cyclist, pedestrian, driver).

Staff presence at downtown events will facilitate in-person feedback collection.

Post-pilot evaluations will be presented to stakeholder groups, informing the final design for a potential permentant installation

Project Contact

Shane Sullivan, PE, PTOE
Transportation Engineer
Phone: (360) 778-7877
Email: spsullivan@cob.org

Participating Departments

Affected Neighborhoods

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