LEADERSHIP GOALIRTPO’s goal is to provide visionary leadership on regional transportation issues and opportunities.

Leadership PoliciesIt will be IRTPO’s policy to:• Advance consistency between transportation and land use plans as well as

other community-based plans working to achieve adopted visions.• Continue to manage the public’s resources in an open and cost-effective

manner.• Advocate for increased multimodal connectivity for the Island Region.• Promote the Island Region and its unique character through strategic

transportation decisions.

Situations when this goal may prevail include participation on the North Sound Transportation Alliance, weighing in on the State’s long-range ferry plan, and reviewing local Comprehensive Plans.

The Leadership Goal is a lens through which to consider other regional policies and apply vision, coordination, and strategic decision-making to advance key objectives.

SYSTEM MANAGEMENT GOALIRTPO’s goal is to support partners’ efforts at building, maintaining, and operating a transportation system that safely and efficiently meets mobility needs for all modes of travel while keeping life cycle costs as low as possible.

System Management PoliciesIt will be IRTPO’s policy to:• Support efforts to maintain the transportation system in a state of good repair.• Promote transportation system efficiency and reliability.• Work towards a safer transportation system for all users.

Situations when this goal may prevail include determination of regional STBG and TAP funding priorities, pursuit of pedestrian improvements at the Clinton ferry terminal, and collaboration with WSDOT on a Local-Interest State Highway Work Program.

The System Management Goal is a lens through which to consider other regional policies with an eye towards coordinating investments in practical solutions.

SUSTAINABILITY GOALIRTPO’s goal is to make transportation decisions today that support the Island Region’s environment, economy, and social justice without compromising future opportunities.

Sustainability PoliciesIt will be IRTPO’s policy to:• Support the economic health and vitality of the Island Region.• Facilitate a healthier environment for current and future generations.• Promote expanded options and innovative solutions that enable all people to

have access to their daily needs and maintain mobility independence.

Situations when this goal may prevail include development of an EV Charging Plan for the Region, facilitation of a Human Services Transportation Coalition, and consideration of freight mobility needs in regional transportation advocacy.

The Sustainability Goal is a lens through which to consider other regional policies for ways of promoting shared interests and needs.

PREPAREDNESS GOALIRTPO’s goal is to anticipate disruptive forces outside the control of any one agency and strategize on ways to mitigate negative impacts while harnessing beneficial opportunities.

Preparedness PoliciesIt will be IRTPO’s policy to:• Maximize system resiliency in the face of climate change, extreme weather

events, natural disasters, and other forces outside the control of IRTPO partners.

• Prepare for new technology alternatives and innovations that are transforming transportation decision-making.

Situations when this goal may prevail include participation in Cascadia Rising response and recovery exercises, evaluation of role for transportation network companies in supporting off-schedule ferry arrivals, and supporting deployment of new technologies that enhance traveler safety.

The Preparedness Goal is a lens through which to consider other regional policies with an eye towards resiliency, technology, and innovation needs.

Draft ISLAND ACCESS 204O – GOALS AND POLICIES

The vision for Island Access 2040, the long-range transportation plan for the Island Region, recognizes that a well-functioning transportation system is fundamental to a good quality of life. This is true here in the Island Region and everywhere around us. We rely on a regional transportation system made up of streets and roads and highways, bridges and ferries, buses and vanpools, bike routes and sidewalks and pathways. We count on it being safe and in a state of good repair. We expect it to operate efficiently - even when we don’t use it efficiently. We need it to be reliable. We expect it to complement our rural character while also supporting our cities, town, and small rural centers.

We ask a lot of our transportation system, and for the most part, it delivers. That is impressive when you consider the many different agencies making countless decisions every day that affect how each part of that system functions. While this plan focuses on things we need to work on, we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that things are working pretty well here on Whidbey and Camano Islands. That is testimony to the tough decisions and careful investments each agency makes, with a shared commitment to supporting the mobility needs of people and businesses. It’s also a measure of the coordination and collaboration that characterizes the regional approach to transportation planning in the Island Region.

Island Access 2040 is a product of that coordinated regional planning process. It takes a long-range look at regional mobility in the Island Region – the mobility of people and of goods. It is mindful of the role that Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization (IRTPO) plays, and emphasizes those strategic opportunities where regional initiative and collaboration can have the widest benefit or address mutually agreed upon needs.

This folio provides an overview of the goals, policies, mobility strategies, and recommended regional actions that are at the heart of the draft Island Access 2040 plan and which will inform regional transportation planning activities for years to come.

Island Access 2040Draft Regional Transportation Plan for the Island Region

IRTPO is the Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization. IRTPO is made up of representatives from Island County, Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Langley, Island Transit, Port of Coupeville, and Port of South Whidbey with associate members from NASWI, WSDOT, and Stanwood. IRTPO is a forum to identify and

bring into focus regional transportation challenges and opportunities that are bigger than any one agency or jurisdiction. IRTPO must fulfill state planning requirements, including development of a long-range plan to

guide coordinated decision-making. Island Access 2040 satisfies state requirements for a long-range plan with practical strategies to inform on-going work program activities and regional coordination.

Island Region’s transportation system provides a full range of efficient, reliable, well-connected travel choices for residents and visitors, and supports the mobility needs of the region’s businesses. Transportation enhances overall quality of life, public health, rural sense of place, and economic well-being for the Island Region today and for generations to come.

Vision, Island Access 2040

How will recommendations in Island Access 2040 be implemented?The Strategic Action Plan identifies activities to be accomplished over the next decade or so. Work will proceed on select actions and depends on a variety of factors such as funding availability, leverage opportunities, partnership potential, and emerging issues. Actions may be pursued by IRTPO or by any of its members, as appropriate. Each is a funding candidate for priority regional projects.

IRTPO develops an annual regional planning work program to guide it’s work called the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). Island Access 2040 actions that IRTPO pursues will be included in its annual work program. Other actions that are near-term priorities may require additional funding to proceed. These can be identified as Unfunded Priorities in the UPWP, which will make clear that these are regional priorities IRTPO is trying to pursue.

Many important projects and programs come through the local and state transportation improvement programs. These are typically construction, maintenance, or operations projects though they can include planning or design projects. Local and state projects must be consistent with Island Access 2040 to be included in the six-yearTransportation Improvement Program. That means these projects help to advance the vision, goals, and policies of the IRTPO plan. Many of the actions identified in Island Access 2040 will result in projects and so will work their way through the transportation improvement program as their details are finalized.

May we keep you in the loop?

Please sign up for Island Access 2040 updates by emailing Connie Bowers at:ConnieB@co.island.wa.us

We’ll let you know when new efforts get underway and keep you in the loop on regional planning activities. Thanks!

Draft ISLAND ACCESS 2040Regional Mobility Strategies & Recommended Actions

Improve Multimodal System Performance

• Support Regional System Preservation Programs• Complete a Regional Multimodal Safety Plan• Develop a Regional Aviation Strategy• Explore South Whidbey Transit Center Opportunities• Evaluate Effectiveness of SR 525/SR 20 Speed Limits in Corridor Operations• Develop an Integrated Systems and Modes Plan for Oak Harbor and SR 20• Develop Coupeville Multimodal Safety, Access, and Circulation Strategy• Develop a Freeland Freight & Multimodal Circulation Strategy

This Regional Transportation Plan recommends a number of strategic actions intended to better understand and address chronic mobility issues, and harness emerging opportunities for the Island Region and its partners. Some of the strategies will result in specific projects or programs for implementation by one or more partners. Others will produce important data needed to support analysis while still others will lead to policy decisions.

Strategies align roughly with a handful of key planning objectives, which are highlighted in bold in the boxes below. The strategies are bulleted. Many of the strategic actions support multiple objectives. Following are recommendations included in Island Access 2040.

Demonstrate Regional Leadership

• Strengthen Inter-Regional Coordination• Maintain and Expand Regional Transportation Awareness• Explore Regional Military Community Partnerships• Minimize Barriers to Transportation-Efficient Communities

Conduct Strategic Regional Planning

• Evaluate Alternate Funding Mechanisms for County Connector Service• Explore Future Maritime Opportunities for Langley and the Island Region• Explore the Feasibility of a Rural TNC (e.g. Lyft or Uber) Ferry Connector

Pilot Program

Support Coordinated Gateway Planning

• Contribute Regional Perspectives to Coordinated Gateway Planning Processes

• Coupeville Ferry Terminal Study 1: Circulation and Access Management Assessment of Ferry Terminal and Vicinity

• Coupeville Ferry Terminal Study 2: Evaluation of Ferry Traffic Impacts on Coupeville

• Coupeville Ferry Terminal Study 3: Safety and Navigation Study of the Coupeville Ferry Terminal

• Deception Pass Study: Multimodal Circulation and Access Management Plan

• Clinton Study: Short-range Multimodal Access and Circulation Strategy

• Camano/Stanwood Study 1: Engage in Coordinated SR 532 Multimodal Corridor Implementation Activities

• Camano/Stanwood Study 2: Improve Transit Access between SR 532 and I-5

Monitor and Assess System Performance

• Collect Travel Data to Support Systems Analysis• Monitor and Evaluate Park-and-Ride Usage• Explore Alternative Regional Performance Metrics for Planning• Participate in the Review/Update of Census Urban Area Boundaries• Acquire & Maintain Regional GIS Data

Support Strong Local Economies

• Update the Scenic Isle Way Action Plan• Explore Potential for Active Recreation Tourism• Develop a Regional Freight Mobility Plan

Minimize Transportation Impacts on the Environment

• Develop and Initiate an Electric Vehicle Action Plan• Establish an On-line One-Stop Traveler Information Portal

Increase Equity and Access for All

• Support the Human Services Transportation Program• Evaluate Rural Models of On-Demand First-Mile/Last-Mile

Transit Connections

Prepare for Future Uncertainties

• Participate in Coordinated Emergency Management Processes• Support Development of Requisite MOUs for Mutual Assistance• Maintain and Acquire Updated GIS Data to Support Regional

Analysis

*Gateway planning is focused on the coordination and mobility needs of the region’s four primary gateways: Deception Pass, Camano Island, Clinton, and Coupeville Ferry Terminal. They are indicated on the map with the blue brackets.

Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve (inset)

Global Challenges:• Growing bigger while staying rural• Responding to an aging population• Minimizing environmental impacts• Mitigating for extreme weather• Strengthening local economies• Navigating technological change

How do these challenges affect long-range transportation decisions?

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Regional Issues. Regional Opportunities.

No transit pullouts or shoulders for cyclists on busy road. Reserve restrictions limit ability to improve facilities.

Technology may be able to help vehicles and cyclists (or farm equipment) travel together on the same highway in a safer and more aware way. That’s the Island Way.

Walk-on/bike-on water taxis may be an option someday for direct connections between Camano and Whidbey Islands.

The region’s Scenic Isle Way is not only one of the state’s iconic road trips, it’s also a great bike ride and easy to access by transit. More EV charging stations would be good.

It takes more than engineering to make travel safe for everyone.

The “official route” to and from the ferry is not the logical route. The logical route has lots of impacts on Coupeville.

The Clinton-Mukilteo route carries more cars than any other route in the state ferry system.

Regional Gateway

Issue Areas

Potential Future Water Way

Whidbey’s quiet rural highways are interrupted every 20 or 30 minutes with a distinct ferry pulse that feeds the region’s economy but also conflicts with the otherwise rural character of its communities.

The Island Region exports its work force and it imports paychecks. Outbound commuters bring home wages that support local businesses, arts, and community programs.

Passenger-only ferry to Everett someday?

Camano Island and Stanwood have a close relationship. Addressing multimodal mobility issues on the SR 532 corridor connecting these communities has benefits that extend well beyond transportation.

Island Transit provides critical County Connector service to major transportation hubs in Everett, Mt. Vernon, and Marches Point. Service is funded through competitive state grants, not a reliable funding source for essential service such as this.

Each of the Island Region’s four gateways has a different set of regional partners for coordination and collaboration.