Council approves mobility work plan, adds transportation research and data

Bainbridge Island’s Mobility Advisory Committee has an approved 2026–2027 work plan, with added encouragement to learn from other transportation groups and use data when advising the City Council.

Council unanimously approved the amended plan on October 27. The decision moves forward the advisory program described in our earlier story on community route reviews and better maps.

Councilmember Leslie Schneider proposed language encouraging members to attend or watch meetings of like-minded mobility and transportation groups for learning and exchanging ideas, “without representing the city in any official capacity.”

It also encourages members to research and understand transportation data sources and bring relevant measures into committee discussions and recommendations.

Deputy Mayor Kirsten Hytopoulos and Councilmember Mike Nelson said the revised language addressed concerns they had raised in the earlier discussion. Council voted separately to approve the amendment and then the amended work plan.

What residents could see

The plan presented for approval includes walking, biking, and rolling route reviews in 2027, intended to identify problems such as difficult crossings, gaps in connections, and hazards near schools. Findings would go to the council for consideration and action.

The committee’s work also includes helping develop printed and digital route maps, reviewing the Island-Wide Mobility Plan, considering places where transportation options connect, and assisting with a process for residents to request traffic calming and small transportation projects.

Approval gives the committee a program for research and recommendations. It does not itself authorize any specific improvements, which still require further city action.

The work is part of the city’s effort to make walking and cycling more practical alternatives to driving. Meeting information is available on the Mobility Advisory Committee’s page.