Bellevue City Council on Nov. 18 directed staff to prepare a resolution to adopt the 2025 update to the Mobility Implementation Plan (MIP), a planning document that identifies performance metrics, network gaps and project concepts used to prioritize projects for the Transportation Facilities Plan and the capital improvement program.

Transportation staff and Transportation Commission members presented the recommendation and the rationale for the update. Key changes in the draft MIP include adding a pedestrian level‑of‑traffic‑stress (PLTS) metric that accounts for speed, traffic volume, buffer and sidewalk width; refining the bicycle level‑of‑traffic‑stress (BLTS) metric to explicitly address intersections; refreshing older data to align with the comprehensive plan horizon and extending the forecast from 2035 to 2044.

Staff emphasized the MIP provides performance targets and project concepts rather than prescriptive, retroactive requirements. For example, the PLTS approach uses a conservative 'speed factor' of approximately 1.2× the posted speed when corridor speed data are unavailable; meeting PLTS targets applies to future frontage design and does not force existing developments to retrofit. The commission recommended project scoring based on council goals (safety, equity, connectivity, and land‑use support) with supplemental points for factors like presence on Vision Zero high‑injury corridors.

Council members pressed staff on how the MIP interacts with land‑use code standards, developer expectations, and whether alternate parallel corridors should be identified when arterials cannot meet all‑ages-and‑abilities targets. Staff said the MIP will inform the transportation facilities plan (which applies fiscal constraints) and that a proposed transportation master plan could later provide more prescriptive cross‑section guidance.

After extended discussion on metrics, prioritization and coordination across commissions, the council moved to have staff prepare a resolution adopting the MIP 2025 update for consideration at a future meeting; the motion passed by voice vote.