Coupeville planners emphasize pedestrian safety, multimodal goals in transportation update

Town staff presented an update to Coupeville's transportation element on Aug. 19, emphasizing a shift toward multimodal and active transportation policies. "We have 6 of them with a total of 37 policies," Scott said while walking commissioners through proposed goals and a multimodal project list intended to increase walking, biking and transit options.

Commissioners repeatedly flagged pedestrian-safety gaps. One commissioner pointed to the intersection of Broadway and Madrona (Copeland), saying, "There's no crosswalk there. It's kinda crazy," and urged the commission to prioritize simple crosswalk striping and other low-cost safety measures. Commissioners also noted missing crosswalks connecting neighborhoods to parks and recommended prioritizing pedestrian facilities ahead of routine resurfacing where safety concerns exist.

Scott described two projects to improve access across Highway 20 to the regional trail network and said safety data from the Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization and the Washington State Department of Transportation will inform project prioritization and funding requests. He cautioned that crossings on state highways may require coordination with county and state agencies because parts of the work lie outside town jurisdiction.

Next steps include further review at upcoming meetings in September and a possible public hearing in November; staff also plans follow-up on specific crosswalk candidates and a multimodal project list for commissioner review.