Bellevue’s Curb Management Plan available for public review

Bellevue released a draft of its first Curb Management Plan, which establishes a long-term framework to guide the development, operation and maintenance of curbside areas in the city’s densest neighborhoods.

The community is encouraged to review the draft plan at Curb Management Plan and provide input on its recommendations at Transportation Commission meetings starting in May. Comments can also be submitted by email at transportationcommission@bellevuewa.gov.

Curb management is the monitoring and regulating of curb space (the transition area between streets and sidewalks). The plan helps align management of curbside areas with the city’s long-range transportation vision, as outlined in the Mobility Implementation Plan and the Comprehensive Plan.

As the city continues to grow, curbside demands have evolved beyond traditional uses (e.g., travel lanes, parking, transit, bicycle facilities and pick-up/drop-off), particularly in downtown, Wilburton and BelRed. The curb areas in these dense neighborhoods are also regularly utilized by ride-hail services (e.g., Lyft or Uber), delivery vans, employer shuttles and on-street dining. The new guidelines are critical to managing the limited space, and will help create a vibrant, safe and inclusive curbside environment.

While the Curb Management Plan provides a long-range roadmap, other elements of the plan include:

• A “Curb Typology” tool that specifies existing and future curbside uses block-by-block to manage the supply of curb spaces
• A pricing framework to manage demand and improve street parking, loading, enforcement practices and traveler safety
• A “Practices Guide” that details how to implement many curb management strategies so Bellevue’s multimodal system performs well long-term

In November 2021, the council approved funding for a consultant to help create the curb plan. The final plan will be presented for council consideration in the summer.