Council opens public hearing on draft six‑year Transportation Improvement Program; residents press for bike connections and safety fixes

The Lake Forest Park City Council opened a public hearing on May 28 for the draft Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) covering calendar years 2027 through 2032. Director Heaton described the document as a working six‑year budgeting and prioritization tool and said staff will continue refining the plan based on public input and changing priorities. "This is a draft. It's not done yet. I am here to listen, take input, and... it will continue to be a work in progress," Director Heaton said.

Council members pressed staff on outreach to historically underrepresented neighborhoods and on how project prioritization will be explained to residents. Heaton said staff is using several maps — pavement overlays dating to 2007, Healthy Streets candidates, multimodal connection sketches and crash-data maps — and plans to publish those maps and a community-adopted prioritization framework online to guide decisions.

During the public hearing residents and commenters raised project-specific requests. David Stegstra, a Shoreline resident, thanked the council for including Northeast Perkins Way bicycle improvements and called it an important uphill bike connection. "I'm really looking forward to the improvements on Northeast Perkins Way," Stegstra said. Sarah Phillips urged the city to consider contracts or regional coordination with operators of dockless electric bikes (Lime) to reduce clutter and improve last‑mile service. Mark Phillips asked the council to keep the McKinnon Creek Trail alignment in future planning as a connectivity priority.

Council members and staff also discussed near-term safety interventions and lower-cost options such as extruded curbs or intermediate signage, with Director Heaton noting some traffic‑calming efforts planned for the coming year in northern neighborhoods. Several councilmembers flagged locations for further study including 37th near Lake Forest Park Elementary (considered a Complete Streets candidate), 40th & 178th crosswalk improvements, and potential crossings on Bothell Way where a HAWK signal or RRFB might be appropriate.

The public hearing closed after in‑chamber comments and an acknowledgement of written submissions from community members. The TIP remains a draft for council consideration and additional public engagement before adoption.