Bellingham announces upcoming safety changes to Holly Street bike lanes
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- Bellingham will replace parking-protected bike lanes with buffered bike lanes.
- Safety updates aim to reduce right hook crashes after more than 60 incidents in 2024.
- Construction starts July 21, with interim designs lasting until long-term upgrades.
Public Works officials will be making safety changes to the Holly Street bike lanes after more than a year of collecting traffic data and soliciting feedback from drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Plans are to replace the existing parking-protected bike lanes from State to Bay streets with standard buffered bike lanes, similar to those installed from Ellis to State streets.
“This change relocates parked vehicles back next to the sidewalk, improving visibility for all users and reducing conflicts between turning vehicles and people biking,” Public Works spokesman Connor Harron said in an emailed statement.
Removing the parking protected lanes addresses safety concerns about “right hook” incident The Herald highlighted in an April 5 report. More than 60 such incidents — mostly near misses — were reported from March through August 2024, according to a Jan. 27 presentation to the City Council.
Further changes are planned for intersections, striping and “traffic-calming features” for bicyclists and people on foot.
Construction is expected to start the week of July 21 and take one to two days, weather permitting, Harron said.
Drivers and cyclists should expect delays from lane closures.
“These interim improvements are expected to remain in place until construction of the final Holly Street corridor, which is still several years away. When pilot project results were shared, the community was informed that near-term safety upgrades would be installed and maintained until the long-term capital project is designed and built. Feedback collected this summer will help shape the corridor’s permanent design,” Harron said. “These updates follow the completion of a bike lane pilot project and are informed by community input and data analysis aimed at improving safety and connectivity for all users.”
Bike lanes were installed on a trial basis in May 2024 on Holly Street for the half-mile downhill stretch from the Ellis-Lakeway intersection to Bay Street.
At the time, city officials intended to study how drivers and cyclists were using the lanes before making the changes permanent.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM.
