Every new office tower that goes up in Bellevue brings more people into the city, and more people means more cars. To limit impacts on traffic and parking from new construction, Bellevue’s development code requires owners of new buildings to take steps to reduce employee car trips.

With the downtown construction boom, the city is now considering changes to its transportation management programs to improve participation, and will host two workshops on Tuesday, Oct. 28, to garner public opinion. The identical workshops will be 8 to 9:30 a.m., and 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Room 1E-108 at City Hall, 450 110th Ave. N.E. Please RSVP to Drew Redman at 425-452-2851 or dredman@bellevuewa.gov.

The transportation management programs, first adopted in 1995, require some property owners of newly constructed large buildings to implement automobile trip reduction programs in order to mitigate traffic and parking impacts associated with the development. Specific requirements vary depending on the size and land use of each development; downtown office developments have enhanced requirements.

For more information on Bellevue’s transportation management programs, including a draft report detailing existing conditions, development trends, best practices and potential alternatives, visit the city of Bellevue website at www.bellevuewa.gov/transportation-management-program.htm.