Re: “Seattle mayor proposes car-free Pike Place, touts success in annual speech” (Feb. 19, Enterprise):
Seattle faces extra urgent issues, however nothing that has emerged from Mayor Bruce Harrell’s mouth up to now 4 years has excited me greater than when he pledged in his State of the Metropolis speech that he was going to push for a pedestrian zone on the market.
After an structure diploma at Washington State College, I studied city design in Copenhagen. I’ve seen in Europe from London to Lisbon to Ljubljana numerous examples of vibrant market areas teeming with pedestrians. Autos are allowed entry within the morning and at day’s finish. The remainder of the time locals and vacationers can linger, people-watch, dine and store — with out dodging vehicles.
Sure, market distributors want car entry to their stalls, however definitely not all day. And for guests who should drive, there are many close by parking garages in addition to sporadic spots on surrounding streets. So there’s simply no must clog tiny, cobbled Pike Place within the futile seek for a parking place.
Victor Steinbrueck and a military of different Seattleites championed saving our beloved market within the Seventies from the bulldozer. In that spirit, let’s take the subsequent step and make a really pedestrian-friendly Pike Place occur!
Dave Hoerlein, Seattle
