Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bothell staff begin drafting micro‑mobility strategy; city survey open through January
Summary
City transportation staff briefed council on a draft micro‑mobility strategy on Jan. 14 and opened a citywide survey to gather public input through the end of January.
City transportation staff on Jan. 14 gave a briefing on draft micro‑mobility strategies intended to guide regulation, safety, equity and infrastructure for small, wheeled devices including bicycles, electric bikes, scooters, skateboards and wheel‑based devices.
Sherman Gong, the city’s transportation planner, said the work aims to (1) identify actions to make micro‑mobility a viable and equitable transportation alternative, and (2) develop guidelines to encourage safe and efficient operation across device types and jurisdictions. Gong told council the city’s prior experience with shared‑use devices began in 2017 (shared bikes) and expanded in 2019 with electric scooters; staff plans to use survey results, stakeholder meetings and planning commission review to shape a draft policy.
No council action was requested. Staff opened a citywide survey on the Engage Bothell site (bothellwa.gov/micromobility) and said the survey will remain open through the end of January. The draft work program anticipates planning commission recommendations in spring and council study sessions in summer 2025.
Gong said staff will address safety, education, enforcement and equity in the strategies and will consider how to regulate shared devices that vendors can influence versus privately owned devices that the city must regulate by code. Council members asked about vendor deployment choices (why Lime currently deploys scooters rather than bikes), regional continuity across neighboring jurisdictions, speed control strategies and infrastructure needs such as protected lanes and parking. Staff said the city is coordinating with adjacent jurisdictions and will bring bills and policy choices to council for direction as the legislative session and vendor activity unfold.
Ending: Staff will review the survey responses, continue stakeholder outreach and return with draft strategies and planning commission recommendations for council review. The city encouraged residents and council members to take the survey before the January deadline.
