Yakima BPAC weighs focused public workshop to update bicycle master plan

The Yakima Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee on Jan. 8 discussed how to move from plan review to implementation of the city’s bicycle master plan, agreeing to pursue a special public workshop and closer cooperation with city staff to prioritize near-term projects.

Committee members said the bicycle master plan contains a standing goal — roughly five miles of bike improvements per year — but that the committee lacks a consistent process to identify and advance specific projects. Committee member remarks emphasized two needs: more public input and a way to package prioritized, low-cost projects for staff and council consideration.

“A lot of work went into a bicycle master plan and a pedestrian master plan. At the current moment we’re not working towards them,” a committee member said, urging a process that produces concrete recommendations for each year rather than only periodic reviews. The committee discussed using a separate, longer meeting or “special session” where members could lay maps on tables and annotate routes together; participants agreed such a session should be open to the public and recorded.

Members described an annotated online map (shared previously among committee members) as a useful starting point. One member said the map’s intent is to collate candidate routes, show how those routes relate to written plan language and flag low-cost improvements — for example, reorienting stop signs and small signage or pavement changes — that can be implemented without major paving or reconstruction.

The committee also flagged specific corridors and project-types it wants prioritized in coming months, including crosswalks and trail crossings such as the long-standing concern at 16th and Yakima Avenue, bicycle boulevards like 34th Avenue, and routes that would connect neighborhoods to the Yakima Greenway. Members agreed to ask Bill Preston, the acting city engineer, and other city staff how they can partner with the committee to advance prioritized items, and to seek a regular channel for input to the city’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

Nut Graf: The committee moved from general plan review toward a pragmatic, community-engaged process. Members want to host a dedicated workshop and to deliver ready-to-act recommendations (including low-cost items) so city staff and council can more easily include projects in the TIP and match available funding.

Committee next steps identified in the meeting included: scheduling a special, public workshop (a.k.a. a “work session”) where maps and routes can be tabled and discussed; asking staff which planning and TIP timelines are most relevant (the TIP is scheduled for amendment at the city council meeting on Feb. 4); and compiling a prioritized list of short, medium and long-term projects tied to the bicycle master plan’s goals.

Quotes in context: Tom and other committee members repeatedly urged that public engagement occur early rather than only at late-stage rollouts. One participant said, “When we go to a public meeting, most of the work’s already done,” and recommended inviting stakeholders early in the design process so projects reflect community needs.

Ending: The BPAC agreed to pursue a special session format and to follow up with city staff on timing, recording/venue requirements and how to publicize the meeting. The committee set February as the next full BPAC meeting and said it will return with a plan for the proposed workshop and a path to provide earlier input to city capital programming.