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Whatcom County · WC-CP-2021 · Pages 1-16

Transportation

This chapter establishes level of service standards, goals, and policies for Whatcom County's transportation system over a 20-year planning horizon, covering motor vehicles, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, commercial, and ferry modes. It addresses concurrency management, multimodal design, coordination with regional agencies, environmental practices in transportation construction, and congestion and emissions reduction strategies. It also outlines funding priorities and the relationship between transportation planning and land use decisions.

Transportation Economy Environment Safety Governance

“Only 3 of 54 Transportation policies (6%) include a concrete, measurable commitment.” Real Record SAY vs DO analysis · Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan

About this analysis

Real Record applies the SAY vs DO accountability framework to every chapter of every Washington comprehensive plan we publish. Each policy in the chapter is read individually and scored into one of four buckets:

  • Measurable — the policy names a specific target, deadline, dollar amount, or action that can be verified later.
  • Strong — binding action language (“shall,” “will adopt,” “require”) without a measurable threshold.
  • Aspirational — encouraging or supportive language (“encourage,” “support,” “consider”) with no enforcement.
  • Monitor only — policies that commit to tracking or reporting but not to action.

The accountability score shown in the sidebar is the share of policies in the chapter that landed in the “Measurable” bucket. A score of 0–19 (red) indicates most policies use aspirational language without concrete accountability; 20–49 (orange) is mixed; 50 or higher (green) means the chapter is dominated by measurable commitments.

The underlying text comes from the official adopted comprehensive plan published by the Whatcom County planning department. Scoring is performed by Real Record analysts using a structured rubric; the raw policy text and bucket assignments are archived in the Real Record civic data warehouse.

Read the full methodology, sources, and rubric at Real Record · About.

What the Plan Promises
Formal targets adopted in the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan.
LOS C or better for county arterials/major collectors outside UGAs during weekday PM peak; LOS D or better within UGAs; LOS D for all county intersections; no more than two sailing waits during average weekday peak periods for Lummi Island ferry; quarterly ferry performance counts
Goals (11 total)
  • Goal 6A: Provide for safe and efficient movement of people and goods by establishing and maintaining standard levels of service for motor vehicle traffic.
  • Goal 6B: Create a cost-effective transportation system that prioritizes safety, roadway preservation, and concurrency.
  • Goal 6C: Ensure an efficient regional system of arterials and collectors that is functional, safe, and consistent with regional priorities.
  • Goal 6D: Support land use planning efforts that include land use types and densities that reduce reliance on single-occupant vehicles.
  • Goal 6E: Balance the needs of all users of all modes of transportation when planning and designing transportation facilities.
  • Goal 6F: Develop a system of bicycle and pedestrian facilities that encourages enhanced community access and promotes healthy lifestyles.
  • Goal 6G: Provide for safe, efficient movement of commercial vehicles.
  • Goal 6H: Coordinate with other governmental agencies in planning the County's transportation system.
  • Goal 6J: Construction and operation of transportation systems should avoid adverse environmental impacts, including impacts to wildlife, water quality, and adjacent residential areas.
  • Goal 6K: Reduce the need for costly capacity-increasing roadway construction projects and minimize emissions from combustion of fossil fuels.
  • Goal 6L: Provide for adequate funding to keep Whatcom County's transportation facilities in good condition and current in terms of capacity.
Stronger Policy Language (29 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy 6A-1: Establish the following levels of service (LOS) for purposes of maintaining transportation concurrency: LOS C or better outside UGAs, LOS D or better within UGAs for county arterials and major collectors.
  • Policy 6B-1: Programming of transportation programs and improvements should prioritize upgrading of unsafe and/or structurally deficient facilities and preservation and maintenance of the existing transportation system over new capital improvements.
  • Policy 6E-2: Use multimodal design in all new transportation facility improvement projects as well as roadway preservation and maintenance projects, unless physically or financially impracticable.
  • Policy 6F-6: For commercial and residential developments within urban growth areas and rural communities, developers shall fund on-street walkways, paths, crosswalks, and other pedestrian accommodations.
  • Policy 6J-2: When constructing new transportation systems, ensure that stormwater generated by the transportation system is treated prior to discharge to waterways used by salmonid fish populations.
  • Policy 6L-2: In the event expected revenues and available funding fall short of the amount needed to meet identified needs the County shall work to resolve the shortfall during the annual review of the comprehensive plan.
Show all 29 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 25 stronger policies are catalogued in the Real Record civic data warehouse and indexed by policy number against the adopted plan text. See how policies are scored →
Aspirational / Monitoring Language (22 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy 6A-5: Encourage extension of city concurrency review authority and LOS standards into their respective UGAs to provide for greater consistency in concurrency review for urban areas.
  • Policy 6C-8: Study ways to improve east-west connectivity for commercial and passenger vehicle traffic between Interstate 5 and areas to the east.
  • Policy 6D-3: Support continual education of the public regarding the relationship between transportation and land use issues and ways to reduce traffic congestion.
  • Policy 6D-6: Encourage new housing developments to be located in urban growth areas to help provide a sense of community and safe, nonmotorized transportation to community facilities.
  • Policy 6K-5: Support multimodal use by encouraging, for example, provision of secure bicycle storage facilities at park-and-ride lots and other transit facilities.
  • Policy 6K-7: Consider implementation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology to increase safety, reduce traffic congestion, decrease delays, expedite commercial vehicle travel.
  • Policy 6K-8: Explore enhanced bus service to Sudden Valley to reduce traffic in the Lake Whatcom watershed.
  • Policy 6K-9: Encourage the development and installation of a comprehensive electric vehicle rapid charging network.
  • Policy 6L-3: Consider establishing impact fees to fund a proportionate share of the costs of transportation system improvements that benefit and are reasonably related to new development.
Show all 22 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 18 policies in this bucket use language like “encourage,” “support,” “consider,” or “monitor” — phrasing that does not create an enforceable commitment. See how policies are scored →

SAY vs DISCUSS: Did this come up in meetings?

Real Record has not yet indexed any Whatcom County briefings tagged to this chapter’s topics. Browse all Whatcom County council and planning briefings to see related discussions in context.

View Whatcom County Briefings →

SAY vs DO: Where the Money Goes

Departments related to Transportation in Whatcom County — what the city actually funds, year over year.

Budget analysis for this chapter is in progress. Real Record has mapped 3 Whatcom County departments to this chapter, but the FY2006 / FY2025 line-item totals are not yet loaded into our civic data warehouse. In the meantime, browse the city-wide budget comparison on the index page.