by Nate Sanford in Crosscut
Citing positive feedback, increased foot traffic and a need for more research, Seattle’s Pike Place Market is extending its car-free experiment through next spring.
Market leaders aren’t yet ready to pull the trigger on permanently restricting cars, but a return to the days of vehicular free-for-all — when tourist vehicles would awkwardly inch through summer crowds — is looking increasingly unlikely.
Pike Place Market car ban extended amid uptick in foot traffic
After decades of urging from pedestrian advocates, the Market started testing a car ban in late April. They launched a “limited vehicle access pilot” to restrict cars from driving through during daytime hours, with exceptions for delivery, pickup and emergency vehicles and cars with disabled parking passes.
The pilot project was originally tied to street repair work and slated to last through August. But as construction nears completion, Market leaders are now extending the pilot so they can study how vehicle restrictions play out during the Market’s quieter winter months.
“We need more time on it,” said Madison Douglas, a spokesperson for the Pike Place Market Preservation and Public Development Authority. “We’re realizing that we really need to continue to test and learn and see how the street is used in different times of the year.”
The extended pilot car restriction doesn’t have an specific end date. Sometime next spring, the Market plans to use what they’ve learned and adopt a “comprehensive street management plan” that can go into effect before the FIFA World Cup begins in June. It’s unclear exactly what that plan will look like, but it will likely include some sort of restriction on some types of cars.
“We’ve been hearing really good feedback,” Douglas said.
A 2021 poll by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and the Northwest Progressive Institute found broad support for restricting cars in Pike Place.
The idea faced initial opposition from some vendors who worried that fewer people would shop at the Market if they couldn’t drive there. But the car restriction seems to have had the opposite effect. (continued on Page 2 or here)