The Bainbridge Island City Council will receive presentations on transportation and emergency planning at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall and on Zoom.
The first presentation will include updating the Transportation Element of the BI Comprehensive Plan to incorporate multi-modal service.
The recommendations are made in the standalone Sustainable Transportation Plan of 2022, which will be merged with the Island-wide Transportation Plan of 2017, which is part of the previous Comp Plan.
A city memo says merging documents will reduce redundancy and convert planning tools from an auto to non-motorized focus. It will lead to a proactive approach to long-range and development-related transportation planning; remove obligations to mitigate solely for auto delays; and more. The council will decide if it wants a deeper dive into any of the topics and a briefing prior to adoption.
An example is in regard to Levels of Service at intersections, ranging from free flow conditions with low density to over capacity with extreme delays. Other examples include pedestrian and bicycle standards.
The council will check if the city is taking action to build projects and implement programs “concurrent” with planned growth. An example is if the city implements projects to expand roadway capacity and mitigate intersection delays. If the city’s plan is “concurrent” then development is allowed except when development impacts need to be mitigated.
The Department of Commerce gives guidance on Transportation Equity to identify racial and social equity when implementing improvements, programs and services. The goal is to provide accessible and affordable transportation for all, especially historically underserved populations.
Also, the council will hear a report from BI Emergency Management coordinator Anne LeSage.
BI police, fire, parks, schools, city staff, Bainbridge Prepares and other stakeholders recently reviewed the BI Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. It explains response and recovery efforts after a disaster.
The four components of the plan are: the foundation for coordination and communication and three functional annexes (population protection, resource management and critical infrastructure). The state has added three more annexes: wildfire response and evacuation, volunteer and donations management and post-earthquake damage assessment.
Some of the information to be presented includes: cooler-wetter winter than average; tsunami strategy, development of disaster hubs and more.
The mission states that it is the responsibility of BI, with assistance from the community, to protect the lives, property and economy and to take action to mitigate emergencies. The plan defines cooperation of different elements to carry out preparedness and mitigation, respond to natural and man-made emergencies and disasters, and coordinate recovery efforts.
It establishes command, designates responsibilities, identifies resources and funding, and organizes volunteers. BI is especially vulnerable as it is an island surrounded by water with just one bridge for evacuation.
The plan also says: BI is vulnerable to numerous natural, technological and human-caused hazards. These hazards include wind, rain, snowstorms, earthquakes, floods, volcanic ash, landslides, common and private carrier accidents, urban search and rescue emergencies, civil disturbances, terrorist activities, explosions, structural collapses, hazardous material incidents, public health emergencies, major fires, and major energy and/or utility system failures.
It is assumed that any of those could create significant property damage, injury, loss of life and disruption of essential services. Those situations may also create significant financial, psychological and sociological impacts on residents.
The Emergency Operations Center is located at 8804 Madison Ave. N, the Ted Spearman Justice Center.
Disaster hubs are located all around BI so people can walk only up to two miles to them in an emergency. Locations are: Bloedel Reserve, Fay Bainbridge Park, Seabold Methodist Church, Island School, BI Recreation Center, Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, Battle Point Park, Island Center Hall, Strawberry Hill Park, Bethany Lutheran Church, Bainbridge High School, BI Senior Center, Hyla Middle School, Islandwood and Fort Ward Community Hall.
