City Got Some Streets You Wanna See Closed to Traffic Next Year for a Day or Two During the Summer?
posted by on August 13 at 15:10 PM
Don’t just toss names around on Slog. Let the folks at the city with the power to actually close ‘em down know how you feel. This was in the comments thread attached to the post I wrote yesterday about the riots—excuse me, joy—that New Yorkers greeted the closure of certain city streets on Saturday mornings this summer. I wanted to move it up so folks would be sure to see it:
FYI - if you have a great idea for where [street closures] could be next year? Share it with the city by emailing: Dawn.Schellenberg@Seattle.gov.This year is a pilot program and the City hopes to make next year bigger and better. Personally, I think it’s also a great idea to champion permanent closures of streets like Pike Place (the street by the market) and a couple of blocks of Ballard Ave NW (in old Ballard). Let them know what you think is worth trying/considering—don’t just bitch about it on the blogs.
For us to do the rough equivalent of the NYC did we could close down Madison from the waterfront to Lake Washington Blvd, Lake Washington Blvd to Montlake Blvd NE, Montlake to 25th Ave NE, 25th Ave NE to NE 55th. So from downtown, past Seattle U, through the Arboretum, across the Ship Canal, through the UW, and up to Ravenna Park. Not saying this is an ideal route but it could be a possibility. Or we could close down Lake Washington Blvd from 520 to Seward Park. There are lots and lots of possibilities! Share your ideas!
Pike, Pine, Olive, Broadway, 15th, 4th, 5th, 6th...
1.) Ballard Ave. is already partially closed to cars on Sunday mornings for the farmers' market.
2.) I nominate Dan's street.
the ave
The viaduct.
Whichever street will inconvenience Dan the most, that way he can have something to claim moral high ground on.
Oh and Dan before you make a note of it, I think Ryan is off today.
Thanks.
@1 I'm with Will
Start with Downtown Seattle. See how that tickles people's fancy.
Then we can expand to completely close down Denny, Western, 45th, 85th and let's not forget our favorite Aurora Ave! Let's make sure everyone gets a taste of the fun!
'cause we all know Will is Mr. Poe right? ;)
Whatever I am, I can assure you, I'm not fucking WiS. God.
Close 'em all down!
I say we close all the streets downtown and have ourselves a party, Ecotopia-style.
Pike Place is such a good call. The only people that even go down there are idiot tourists that think they can find a parking spot.
I just sent an email advocating closing Pike Place except for vendors' trucks before and after the market hours.
Closing Pike Place to traffic is a brilliant idea which should have been done years ago.
Like most good ideas in Seattle, it will be debated endlessly for the next 10 years and will eventually atrophy and die...
And Pike Street needs closed permanently from DT to 15th Street except for a streetcar...
...and my bus.
Feel free to close down all the streets that have subways running under them.
3rd? Hey, my bus runs on that street.
I'm gonna freak y'all out here, and it's not my head injury talking: permanently closing business streets to cars is NOT a good idea. I still think the best analysis of how cities work comes from Jane Jacobs, who said that diversity of uses is the key to urban life. Cars should be tamed, not banned. Pike Place is perfect as it is: the cars proceed slowly and defer to walkers and bikes. There and elsewhere, there are some trips (deliveries, primarily) that just won't be made without a motor vehicle. It is proven that short term curb parking is key to business health, because we are still in a time when a lot of people drive, and might run errands making many short stops. Closed main-street 'destination promenades' were semi-popular in the 70s, but go to one sometime (Burlington, Vermont for instance, or Charlottesville, Virginia). They have a kind of packagedness to them, lots of places to buy scented soap but usually nothing you need - and never a grocery store. Let's close some big streets for a day on occasion to give people some idea of what biking without fear feels like, what a nice day really sounds like, and then use what that demonstrates to push for real changes that accomodate everyone safely.
The Queen Anne Counterbalance, FTW.
Imagine the fun'n'games...
@17,
I have to disagree about Pike Place. First, those sidewalks get packed fast. If the street were opened to pedestrians, it would make things much easier and increase the appeal of the market since all of its shoppers are on foot. Second, there are very few parking spots there in the first place. Most of the people who drive through there are either tourists too ignorant to know that it's going to take them 15 minutes to drive three blocks and locals who are insane enough to try to find parking there. Third, they can still allow delivery trucks in while banning all other traffic.
I'd like to shut down I-5.
And use it to practice my boarding skills on.
Thanks!
I'll take NONE for $1000, Alex.
Oh, and good post @ 17, Grant. Hope you're feeling better.
Right on, Grant. Couldn't have said it better myself, though I tried, the other day when I was arguing exactly this same point with ECB.
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feel good crap - support street fairs already
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