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Sammamish staff outline bike and pedestrian mobility plan; community workshop set for July 16
Summary
City staff previewed a draft bike and pedestrian mobility plan tied to the Transportation Master Plan, reported outreach results and described draft facility and policy guidance including level‑of‑traffic‑stress goals and a school access analysis.
City of Sammamish public‑works staff on July 1 presented an informational overview of the city’s bike and pedestrian mobility plan, describing project goals, public outreach results and draft technical guidance that will feed the city’s Transportation Master Plan update.
Lindsay Channing, transportation planner, said the plan “will align with the goals of Sammamish’s Transportation Master Plan and focuses on providing a safe, connected, and efficient walking, rolling, and biking network in Sammamish.” She described work completed to date: an existing‑conditions memo, draft facility recommendations by road classification, and a prioritized project list in development with planning‑level cost estimates.
Staff highlighted draft level‑of‑traffic‑stress (LTS) guidelines adopted in the TMP and proposed to update them to match late‑2024 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) guidance. For principal and collector arterials the guideline is LTS 2 (to accommodate most riders); for minor arterials the guideline is LTS 3. Staff noted the East Lake Sammamish Parkway currently registers as very high stress (LTS 4) under the street‑based analysis, but that the adjacent East Lake Sammamish Trail is being considered as the primary facility for that corridor and will be noted in the plan.
Andrew Spiliotis, senior transportation planner, described a school‑access analysis that looked at half‑mile buffers around schools (chosen because a 1‑mile buffer would encompass the whole city) and identified about 15–20 candidate projects on non‑arterial streets to improve walking and biking access to schools. He said the draft project set will inform the city’s school zone safety improvement program and the transportation CIP.
Public outreach produced about 260 comments from more than 100 unique participants, staff reported. Common pedestrian requests included completed sidewalks, more marked crosswalks and flashing beacons at key intersections; bicycle feedback sought protected lanes, signage and wayfinding, and better routes in Trossachs and Inglewood Hill. Staff said project prioritization criteria will include facility gaps, LTS, proximity to schools and transit, crash density for non‑motorized users and slope.
Staff announced a public workshop on July 16 at City Hall and said they will return to council in the fall with a draft plan for work session, hearing and anticipated adoption in late fall. The presentation also flagged an upcoming policy conversation with the Sammamish Police Department about e‑bikes and e‑scooters; staff said an informational web page describing device classes will be available soon.
Council members probed implementation and costs and suggested adding “quick wins” and lower‑cost connectivity options, using narrower outcome‑based standards where feasible, and exploring soft‑surface or gravel connectors where ADA requirements allow. The presentation tied into the Sahali corridor study and other ongoing corridor work that will use updated WSDOT guidance.
The city will continue design and project prioritization work with its consultant, publish the draft plan in the fall, and advance selected projects into the city’s CIP.
