Bike lanes, turn lane are part of transit plan for this Bellingham neighborhood
James Street, the main north-south route through the Sunnyland neighborhood, is the latest neighborhood street that could get bike lanes and lose parking in an effort to slow traffic and make walking, biking and riding the bus easier.
Proposed changes to James Street in several locations are part of the city’s six-year Transportation Improvement Program, an annual document that indicates which projects will be prioritized in the coming years. It allows the city to apply for grant funding and take other steps that are required ahead of major construction.
City Council members were expected to review this year’s TIP at their Monday meeting. There’s no firm start date for the James Street proposal, a Public Works Department official told The Herald.
Projects under consideration over the next six years include:
▪ James Street bike lanes and a two-way left-turn lane from Iowa Street to Sunset Drive.
▪ James Street north of Orchard Drive.
▪ Electric Avenue bridge replacement.
▪ Eldridge Avenue bridge replacement.
▪ Roundabout or traffic signal at Lincoln and Fraser streets.
▪ Roundabouts at Lincoln and Potter and Lincoln and King streets.
▪ A roundabout for the intersection of Meridian Street, Squalicum Way and Birchwood Avenue. This project will require significant planning and have considerable effects on traffic, according to the project page.
Joel Pfundt, who was just named director of the Public Works Department, told the City Council on June 9 that the James Street corridor through Sunnyland isn’t an ideal urban design.
“A four-lane cross-section like is on James Street is actually not very preferable anymore. We do have a few of those around town,” Pfundt told the council on June 9.
James Street carries between 15,000 and 11,000 cars daily from Iowa to Sunset, according to a 2023 traffic survey. The speed limit is 25 mph, and drivers routinely speed on the wide, straight street through the commercial area between Hardware Sales and Trader Joe’s.
According to current city plans, the street will be reduced to two lanes in each direction with a two-way left-turn lane. Parking will remain on the east side of the street but will be removed on the west side, where most businesses have off-street lots. Bike lanes will be added in each direction.
“In that case we can have a road that is much safer for people to cross and for vehicles to turn on and off of, and then we can also provide walking and biking,” Pfundt said. “I think anybody who’s crossed it, one of those existing flashing beacon things, that multiple threat of the one car stopping and the second not is pretty uncomfortable.”
