Appendix A Local, Regional and Transit Policy Direction Local, Regional, and Transit Policy Direction Policy support for the incorporation of alternative modes into the concurrency process exists at multiple levels. The following excerpts have been pulled from the city of Bellevue Comprehensive Plan, PSRC’s VISION 2040, and King County Metro’s Comprehensive Plan for Public Transportation. Themes include considerations for bicycle and pedestrian facilities and amenities, improved coordination with appropriate transit agencies for the provision of adequate services, and the facilitation of multimodal connections. Local Policy Direction Implementing a multimodal concurrency program supports the broad Bellevue community goal of increasing mobility while reducing dependence on single occupant vehicles. The following goals and policies have been outlined in the city of Bellevue Comprehensive Plan (Transportation Element) to support this overarching objective by providing a framework that emphasizes alternative modes of transportation during the development of city plans, programs, projects, and processes. These policies are important to the success of the City of Bellevue in maintaining a high level of mobility in a future that places increasing demand on an efficient and reliable multimodal transportation system. Goal: To implement a fully multimodal transportation system that supports the land use vision of the Comprehensive Plan and the role of Downtown Bellevue as the Eastside urban center. Goal: To reduce the use of single‐occupant vehicles and vehicle miles traveled, through a coordinated program of regulations, marketing, and provision of alternative travel options. Goal: To provide multiple travel options, for transit users, pedestrians, bicyclists, and rideshare users, as well as the drivers of private vehicles. POLICY TR‐23: Coordinate improvements and operations among travel modes, providing connections between modes. POLICY TR‐24: Incorporate pedestrian and bicycle facility improvements into roadway projects, and incorporate transit/high‐occupancy vehicle improvements where feasible. POLICY TR‐27: Follow guidance provided in the city’s long‐range transportation plans, transportation studies, and subarea plans to identify, prioritize, and implement transportation system improvements. POLICY TR‐29: Develop the transportation system in a manner that supports the regional land use and transportation vision presented in Vision 2020, Destination 2030 and the Countywide Planning policies for King County. A‐1 POLICY TR‐32: Develop and implement strong interjurisdictional agreements for cooperative solutions to land use and transportation problems that cross the city border. POLICY TR‐36: Observe the following guidelines in adopting and revising arterial level of service standards by Mobility Management Area: 1. Reflect the availability of alternative travel options and community goals that may be as important as managing congestion, such as goals for land use, neighborhood protection from wider streets, or economic vitality. For example, allow more congestion in some areas of the city under the following conditions: a. In return for stronger emphasis on transit, walking, and other alternatives to the single‐occupant vehicle, and b. Where the impacts of wider streets are judged to be worse than the congestion they are designed to solve. 2. Establish roadway levels of service adequate to prevent system failure and to protect residential neighborhoods from cut‐through traffic. POLICY TR‐37: Review proposed developments and require mitigation of traffic impacts where necessary. Prohibit development approval if the development will cause the area level of service in one or more Mobility Management Areas to fall below the adopted standard, unless demand management or other system improvements are provided to mitigate the transportation impacts. POLICY TR‐53: Work with transit providers to maintain and improve public transportation services to meet employer and employee needs. Develop and implement attractive transit commuter options, such as park and ride facilities and local shuttle systems with sufficient frequencies to increase use of transit for commuting and reduce reliance on private automobiles. POLICY TR‐54: Work with transit providers to create, maintain, and enhance a system of supportive facilities and systems such as: 1. Transit stations and centers; 2. Passenger shelters; 3. Park and ride lots; 4. Dedicated bus lanes, bus layovers, bus queue by‐pass lanes, bus signal priorities; 5. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities; 6. Pricing; 7. Kiosks and on‐line information; and 8. Incentive programs. A‐2 POLICY TR‐56: Develop partnerships with transit providers to implement projects providing neighborhood–to–transit links that improve pedestrian and bicycle access to transit services and facilities. POLICY TR‐57: Coordinate with transit providers to enhance transit service information and provide incentives to encourage and facilitate transit use. Goal: To provide a regional transit service at levels that support the land use goals of the city. Goal: To provide high performance transit connections with the other urban centers in the region. Goal: To develop programs to encourage ridership on regional transit. POLICY TR‐61: Work with transit providers to maintain and expand direct and frequent regional bus routes to support the city’s land use and mode split goals. Goal: To provide a regional transit service at levels that support the land use goals of the city. Goal: To provide high performance transit connections with the other urban centers in the region. Goal: To develop programs to encourage ridership on regional transit. POLICY TR‐70: Promote transit use and achieve land use objectives through transit system planning that includes consideration of: 1. Land uses that support transit, including mixed use and night‐time activities; 2. Transit‐oriented development opportunities with the private and public sectors; 3. A safe and accessible pedestrian environment, with restrictions on auto access; 4. Integrating multiple access modes, including buses, carpools and vanpools, bicycles and pedestrians; 5. Urban design and community character that support and facilitate transit use; and 6. Protecting nearby neighborhoods from undesirable impacts. POLICY TR‐71: Improve transit connections between downtown Bellevue and other designated urban centers. A‐3 Regional Policy Direction (VISION 2040) In 2008, PSRC’s General Assembly adopted VISION 2040, the long‐term strategy for accommodating expected growth in people and jobs while enhancing the environment and quality of life in the region through 2040. As a key element of VISION 2040, multicounty planning policies provide a regional direction for countywide and local planning in the central Puget Sound region. These policies represent regional values and present a vision of how the region should look and function in 2040. The PSRC and City of Bellevue Multimodal Concurrency Pilot Project most directly supports the following VISION 2040 goals and policies. Goal: The overall quality of the region's air will be better than it is today. MPP‐En‐19: Continue efforts to reduce pollutants from transportation activities, including through the use of cleaner fuels and vehicles and increasing alternatives to driving alone, as well as design and land use. Goal: The region will reduce its overall production of harmful elements that contribute to climate change. MPP‐En‐23: Reduce greenhouse gases by expanding the use of conservation and alternative energy sources and by reducing vehicle miles traveled by increasing alternatives to driving alone. Goal: The region will use design to shape the physical environment in order to create more livable communities, better integrate land use and transportation systems, and improve efforts to restore the environment. MPP‐DP‐35: Develop high quality, compact urban communities throughout the region's urban growth area that impart a sense of place, preserve local character, provide for mixed uses and choices in housing types, and encourage walking, bicycling, and transit use. MPP‐DP‐40: Design transportation projects and other infrastructure to achieve community development objectives and improve communities. Goal: The region's communities will be planned and designed to promote physical, social, and mental wellbeing so that all people can live healthier and more active lives. MPP‐DP‐43: Design communities to provide an improved environment for walking and bicycling. MPP‐DP‐45: Promote cooperation and coordination among transportation providers, local government, and developers to ensure that joint‐ and mixed‐use developments A‐4 are designed to promote and improve physical, mental, and social health and reduce the impacts of climate change on the natural and built environments. MPP‐DP‐54: Develop concurrency programs and methods that fully consider growth targets, service needs, and level‐of‐service standards. Focus level‐of‐service standards for transportation on the movement of people and goods instead of only on the movement of vehicles. MPP‐DP‐55: Address nonmotorized, pedestrian, and other multimodal types of transportation options in concurrency programs – both in assessment and mitigation. MPP‐DP‐56: Tailor concurrency programs for centers and other subareas to encourage development that can be supported by transit. Goal: As a high priority, the region will maintain, preserve, and operate its existing transportation system in a safe and usable state. MPP‐T‐3: