Maybe cutting general traffic from busy Seattle roadway isn’t so far-fetched
Apr 4, 2016, 9:58 PM | Updated: May 6, 2016, 10:00 pm
Former Mayor Mike McGinn recently pitched the idea of completely cutting off a stretch of Seattle arterial roadway to general traffic.
Maybe it’s not such a far-fetch idea after all.
Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat reports the reduction of two car lanes on more than a mile of Westlake Avenue North has had little impact on traffic. City traffic engineer Dongho Chang told Westneat the changes are working.
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The city gave two lanes of Westlake to public transit. Low-and-behold, traffic is still flowing just as well, Westneat says. A transit consultant told him that some drivers may have simply changed their routes; others may have altered when and how they commute through the city.
The goal of the lane changes, which went into effect March 21, were, at least in part, to increase travel times for public transportation.
If an arterial like Westlake can be reduced that much to general traffic and — reportedly — not impact commuters, is McGinn’s idea that far-fetched? He argues a corridor specifically for transit would allow for better walking and biking. Citing work done by a former New York transportation commissioner, McGinn says such a change would benefit everyone.
