The City Council approved three projects intended to make it easier for Kirkland community members to navigate the city, whether on foot, on bike, or on the bus.

Kirkland Transit Implementation Plan Adoption

The City Council also approved a Resolution adopting the “Kirkland Transit Implementation Plan” (KTIP). The KTIP was developed with the aim to improve transit in Kirkland to better meet increased service demands. For example, sometimes building a minor capital improvement or adjusting the way transit serves an area can make a bus ride faster or even increase its capacity.  Staff now will work to integrate the projects identified in the KTIP into the next Capital Facilities Plan and Capital Improvement Plan updates.  The City will work with our regional partners to identify opportunities to further evaluate, fund, and implement KTIP projects and programs as part of regional projects, such as RapidRide and Stride (i.e. I-405 Bus Rapid Transit).

In the coming years, the City will revisit the KTIP to assess changed circumstances after major transportation projects are built, such as the reconstruction of the I-405/N.E. 85^th interchange, and to quantify measurable changes or improvements.

Bike Share Pilot Program

After extensive community outreach and input, the City Council adopted a twelve-month bike share pilot program for Kirkland during their March 19 meeting. The pilot program allows up to two companies to establish a minimum fleet of 100 and up to 200 electric-assist bikes in Kirkland. Staff will also request from companies how scooters might be introduced to the fleet sometime after the launch of the bike share pilot. This will allow staff to work through any specific challenges with shared scooters, since most of the program design work so far has been focused on bikes.

The mechanism for reviewing, approving or denying, and conditioning bike share operators and fleet locations during the pilot program will be a Terminable Right-of-Way Use Permit. During the pilot program, staff will evaluate whether this or another mechanism is the best instrument for regulating bike share. Also, each approved company will need to obtain a Kirkland business license.

Fleet parking locations will be specific and are proposed to be in the public rights-of-way, in parks, and in designated parking locations adjacent to the Cross Kirkland Corridor. Signs or other visual cues will be placed to remind customers to park their bikes in appropriate locations, and bike share operators will be required to educate and incentivize proper bike parking.

Staff will return to Council after the completion of the 4- and 8-month evaluation periods to review data and evaluate the performance of the operators. Near the end of the pilot program, staff will return to the Council to determine how best to proceed beyond the one-year pilot.

Throughout the duration of the pilot, there will be a direct phone line and email for the public to provide feedback. A webpage also will be created to provide up-to-date information regarding program changes and contact information for each of the permitted bike share operators. Near the end of the pilot, staff will release a city-wide survey to solicit feedback from the community on the bike share pilot.

The City will require the bike share companies to track the following: total number of rides; average ride duration; average time to resolve a complaint; location of bikes; and other data. This data will be used during and after the pilot to monitor, evaluate, and adjust the program. Additionally, the pilot will include a public education component for topics such as safety and proper bike parking.

The City will charge each selected bike share company an annual permit fee of $2,032 in order to use the City’s rights-of-way, and also will assess an annual administrative fee of $35 per bike to be used for minor program enhancements as needed, such as for special signage or painting designated bike parking areas. While the permitted bike share companies themselves will be required to move bike that are out of compliance or improperly parked, the City also will have the authority to invoice operators $127 per occurrence in the event City crews need to move bicycles.

100^th Ave NE Improvements—Phase 1

The Council approved over $5 million in transportation impact fee funds and real estate excise tax funds to use for improvements on 100^th Ave N.E. The 100th Avenue N.E. Corridor Improvement Project will result in roadway improvements along a one-mile segment of 100th Avenue N.E. from N.E. 132nd Street to N.E. 145th Street. The improvements include widening the current roadway to improve the flow of vehicle traffic from north to south and developing separated sidewalks and all ages and ability cycle tracks. The project will be advertised for construction bid later this year, and the project may be completed by mid-2021.

In previous articles, we looked at what defines a healthy, resilient urban forest. In this article, we’ll look at the various tools we can use to maintain and enhance our urban forest while accommodating future growth and development, a challenge that many communities face today.

Let’s take an inventory of our “urban forest management toolbox.” One very useful tool is understanding the community’s long-range vision for its urban forest. That vision can provide clear guidance when determining how to manage the urban forest over a 20 year time span. Another tool is using incentives to encourage voluntary actions towards an intended result. For example, a Voluntary Tree Conservation Easement provides a homeowner a way to protect trees on their property voluntarily, which helps to slow the loss of tree canopy cover. Yet another tool is public education to create greater awareness of tree-related issues and opportunities for community members to engage in stewardship efforts. Even procedural changes, such as how inspections are conducted on development sites, can be a tree preservation tool.  

The most contentious “tool in the toolbox” are tree codes, the requirements that must be followed or a consequence such as a fine will result. Sometimes regulations are referred to as the “stick” while incentives, education and procedures are considered a “carrot,” or reward.

Incentives and public education may not be effective by themselves. However, when unreasonably strict regulations are heavily applied and enforced, without any incentives or public education, a lack of cooperation results, which can thwart efforts towards long-range goals. By monitoring urban forest performance we can adjust our code for greater effectiveness and take a balanced approach to meet our goals.       

In our next article, we’ll explore how specific changes to Kirkland’s tree code can address some emerging issues we have noticed with our monitoring efforts. An update of the tree code amendment project will be given at the April 25 Planning Commission meeting, then a more in-depth review of proposed tree codes will occur at the May 9 Planning Commission meeting.

Kirkland City Councilmember Tom Neir announced earlier this week that he will not seek re-election to Council Position #2 this fall due to growing demands from his business. 

“I make this announcement with great sadness,” said Councilmember Neir.  “I love Kirkland. Serving on the Kirkland City Council has been one of life’s great honors."

Councilmember Neir stated that recently his business has required an increased level of commitment and focus, “It is clear to me that I simply won’t have time to meet the high standard of service I expect of myself as a Councilmember.”

Additionally, Councilmember Neir encouraged all qualified residents to explore running for the Council seat, “There is no better way to serve our community. Our recent Council appointment process has shown that we have many talented and dedicated residents who are ready to step up. I will help future candidates any way I can, and I am excited to see what they will accomplish.”

Neir was elected in 2017 for a two-year term and will serve through December 31, 2019. Neir is Chairman of the Kirkland Planning and Economic Development Committee and serves on the Public Works/Parks/Human Service Committee.  He also represents Kirkland regionally on the Eastside Transportation Partnership and the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA 8) Management Committee.