On April 23, the City of Seattle and the Pike Place Market Public Development Authority (PDA) took a step that Seattle urbanists had been pushing for a long time: they started testing out what it would look like to allow fewer vehicles to access Seattle’s most famous public market. The changes, which were prompted by a months-long construction project along Stewart Street that had been causing headaches for drivers, are part of a pilot project that is set to continue indefinitely and could prove to be a model for how the Market evolves long-term.
In our Sunday video, Best Side Cycling highlights the changes on the ground, which are resulting in more foot traffic along Pike Place…and less head-scratching from tourists wondering why we would ever let drivers careen down the middle of the Market. Whether the pilot transitions to permanent changes remains to be seen, but for now the upgrade has proven to be a big draw for folks looking for more people-centric spaces in Downtown Seattle.
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including Capitol Hill Seattle, BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
