Updating Bellevue’s comprehensive plan | Sidewalks: Improving the quality of life

The city of Bellevue is committed to developing a community that provides all people the opportunity to enjoy civic facilities, programs, services and activities without encountering barriers to access.

February 9, 2015 1:00 pm
Jay Karns pauses near the corner of 134th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Eighth Street
Jay Karns pauses near the corner of 134th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Eighth Street

Editor’s Note: The city of Bellevue is updating its comprehensive plan. Over the next four weeks, city officials will discuss different parts of the plan on this page. See box on this page for how to comment on the plan and attend an open house.

By Dave Berg

Special to the Reporter

Bellevue resident Jay Karns relies on Metro Access vans, Metro buses, good sidewalks and safe crosswalks to get from his group home in the Camden Estates neighborhood in north Bellevue to his job at the Factoria 8 movie theater.

He gives the city high marks when it comes to improving city sidewalks and accessibility over time, though challenges remain.

“I’d give Bellevue an A-plus for effort because every year I’ve been here the city is getting better,” said Karns, a Bellevue resident since 1981, who was born with spina bifida. “It’s good to see sidewalks on both sides of the street, or a wide enough shoulder to get from one end of a street to another. Areas with no sidewalks are chancy.”

He said crosswalks and curb ramps are particularly important elements of a pedestrian system that’s accessible.

The city of Bellevue is committed to developing a community that provides all people the opportunity to enjoy civic facilities, programs, services and activities without encountering barriers to access. In the Transportation Department, we’ve been incorporating ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards and best practices into our projects for more than 20 years.

In 2009, the Transportation Department completed a comprehensive inventory of barriers to access in the public right of way, such as sidewalks and curb ramps. Our plan to mitigate barriers identified by the inventory targets approximately $1.25 million each year to construct missing curb ramps, repair uneven sidewalks and remove obstructions.

Achieving access improvements is really a two-pronged approach. We retrofit existing facilities and we build new sidewalks. Our Pavement Overlay Program retrofits 110 curb ramps each year on average, our Street Maintenance Program addresses sidewalk defects, and our Neighborhood Sidewalks Program constructs new sidewalks. We also respond to sidewalk issues raised by people who call our Operations and Maintenance Line at 425-452-7840.

As a convenience for pedestrians, we’ve been adding mid-block crossings, most of them with flashing beacons for enhanced safety. I’m also proud to say we were the first city in the state to use smart traffic signals that temporarily display red left-turn arrows — which better protect pedestrians in the crosswalk — before returning to a flashing yellow arrow.

Sidewalks and accessibility are addressed in the draft update of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Last updated in 2004, the Comp Plan is the community’s vision for the future of Bellevue, guiding city investments in infrastructure and policy. It helps define the kind of city we want Bellevue to become.

The draft plan covers a wide range of topics, including land use, housing, parks, economic development and human services.

It also targets accessibility issues, calling for the city to “design, implement, and maintain transportation system improvements and deliver transportation services and programs in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

We’re working hard to expand and improve our system of sidewalks and to address accessibility and public safety issues citywide, for the roughly 10,400 people with disabilities who live in Bellevue — including Karns. It’s a big job, considering there are more than 345 miles of sidewalks and 4,500 curb ramps citywide.

“In general it’s getting a lot better as time goes on,” Karns said of accessibility in Bellevue. “I can’t see the city going any other direction.”

Dave Berg is director of the Transportation Department for the city of Bellevue. City staff contributed to this story.

Comment on Comp Plan

The city of Bellevue is updating its Comprehensive Plan, the community’s plan for shaping the future of the city. Your thoughts and suggestions are encouraged.

If you want to comment on the topic highlighted in today’s story, or any other section of the draft Comp Plan Update, here are ways to do it: