Cars in Pike Place Market = the new “right????” Nevermind that cars been there all along, even during Seattle’s progressive policymaker peak (2015-2023, #neverforget lefty council). I think trying to drive through a pedestrian thoroughfare is a dumb idea, but this does not register on the left/right ideology. Seems like a non-partisan issue in search of political spin.

when people are here from flyover states, we fire up the stake bed and drive the pike loop, over to the moore, and around capital, like it's cruise night on van nuys blvd circa 72.

nothing says seattle like getting stuck in a cloud of patchouli and dank in the middle of the street.

What does a “social engineering” department do at Sound Transit and why does it need 77 people to do it? This sounds like a right wing plot to turn the public against transit. And if it’s real, the public should never vote for a transit levy again.

Everyone wants Seattle to have the same walkability as NYC (where I'm from). Still, you forget that there is NO WAY TO GET ANYWHERE in a decent amount of time without a ton of walking except a few chosen places around the city with halfway decent public RAPID transportation. You have to provide the rapid transit FIRST, and then walkability happens, not the other way around. And I'm not talking about stupid buses. I'm talking trains that move quickly, have express routes, and a transit map that meshes over the city in a way that is actually helpful to most residents.

And no, we don't want to ride bikes in the frakking cold and rain.

justme1 dear, “social engineering” is just charlestalk for a communications department. They coordinate advertising, handle PR and public meetings, sell ad space on the fleet, etc.

But Our Dear Charles does have something of a point: Madison Ave has been telling us for more than a century that our self-worth and freedoms are tied to the car we drive. There’s no transit agency or city government that can compete with that.

As for the cars in Pike Place issue: it’s been debated for decades, yet the market continues to thrive. Leave it be.

Big Transpo's
engineered US
into a dead end
street: first, they
they came for our
Trolleys and trains
& sold us Sexy back
seats & enough Free
Will to choke a horse

whilst we sit in
luxury condos on
Wheels waiting for
everyone Else to get
the Fuck home to catch
the Next Episode of true
crime solving Po-po catching
Everthing but those selling to Us
our imminent demise at their hands

Global Warming
aka Catastrophic
Climactic DISASTER?

not
their
Problem:

Drill, bitches.
fucking DRILL.

I don't always agree with Charles Mudede but sometimes you just need to give a standing ovation.

This is one.

I'm sure more east - west bus lines would be convenient, except for the fact that a large interstate bisects the city and there's only but so many crossing points for road-based buses to even take. Sound Transit developed a plan that prioritized commuters, but doesn't really solve many problems inside the city itself and they haven't even been able to get the lowest hanging fruit right without finding someway to screw it up or blowing the budget (building basically one long line, utilizing a pre-existing bridge, even installing floor tiles).

i have been known to drive down stewart and through the market to get to western. only a crazy person would try that on a saturday afternoon in july. pike place is already closed at pike st. to private vehicles on many weekend days, and most of the time on weekdays it's NBD to dodge the cars. the market still needs emergency and delivery vehicle access.

btw, the new "people street" pike between 1st & 2nd is just awful. 1 vehicle lane, but it's blocked off by concrete planters? why was it built, then? the entire block is coated in pigeon shit because the city refuses to stop the crazy fuck that feeds them. um, health dept?

SMH. Charles this is a rant that belongs in the ST rant and rave section. This isn’t journalism. Does the stranger publish this junk just to fill space?

Pike Place is fine as it is. Everyone can’t walk or ride transit for various reasons. Seattle is hilly - everyone can’t walk them. The market is blocked off during peak hours.

@5 Sure, PPM is an amazing place as it is (except the awful gum wall). But haven't you ever imagined how much more amazing it would be without the constant parade of auto traffic? People could then LEGALLY walk in the roadway, which they technically aren't supposed to do now.

@9 Again with the "emergency and delivery vehicle access" canard. Sigh. No one, and I mean NO ONE, is suggesting that essential vehicles be banned. But somehow this absurd talking point never dies.

@10 "The market is blocked off during peak hours." No, it is not.

@11: often it is closed off - holidays, weekends in the summer. not up where stewart comes down, but at the main entrance at pike.

PP ain't that broke - vehicle/pedestrian accidents are rarer than hen's teeth there.

@12 The main problem with allowing a continual stream of non-essential traffic in the market is that it forces people to constantly be on alert if they choose to avoid the often-jammed sidewalk and walk in the road area, which puts a severe damper on their ability to just enjoy the surroundings. Add to that the fumes emitted by slow-moving, often idled vehicles and you have a compelling argument against cars even if there were zero accidents. I've never understood why they're allowed.

Demanding that people can't drive down the streets at Pike's is some privileged ideological elitism that favors only inner-city people who are quickly becoming the wealthiest in the area.