Why do you really need to own a car in Seattle?

Do you really need to have a car in an urban, transit haven like Seattle?

This is an ongoing debate as thousands are moving into the city and as the region considers funding new transit options. And there are other factors to consider. What if you live outside of Seattle? Or what if you need to get out of town for any of the outdoor activities the Northwest likes to tout?

Analyst claims Seattle will have no need for parking within 15 years

The Seattle Weekly recently reported that neighborhoods such as Ballard have a growing debate over parking access. Many are concerned over the city’s limited requirements for new development. Many new developments are not required to include adequate parking — where are all these new residents going to park their cars? While others are more concerned over the lack of housing, and argue that parking takes up space that apartments could occupy. Both sides are considering the fact that 120,000 more people are expected to move into Seattle by 2035.

It seems the city is divided on the issue.

According to an ongoing survey by Autolist, a majority of respondents (52 percent) seem to lean towards the no-car camp.

• 27 percent of respondents said that “you can get by without a car”
• 27 percent said that “it’s nice to have a car”
• 22 percent said that a person “must have a car”
• 14 percent said they “don’t really need one”
• 11 percent responded that there is no need for a car in Seattle

If you’re wondering where the extra percentage point comes from, Autolist rounds up on fractions of a percent.

Respondents also offered feedback. Many cited two contributing factors to Seattle’s bad traffic — bike lanes taking up space, and new people who have moved to town who are “bad drivers that are rude and ruin the driving experience.” In any case, most recommended patience and not driving around rush hour. And some recommended that people get a Car2Go membership.

That should come as no surprise. Just this year, the City of Seattle reported that 14 percent of car-share members ditched their personal cars in favor of ride-share services such as Car2Go or Zipcar — that totals 9,100 Seattle drivers. Many Seattle residents have also started to use other alternate forms of transportation in lieu of car ownership. Rideshare services such as Lyft and Uber are continually growing.

Despite some adopting a less-car, more-transit attitude, Seattleites seem to be buying cars anyway — and in areas of town that are touted for walkability and easy access to transit. At least, that’s what the Seattle Times’ FYI guy Gene Balk noticed a couple years ago when looking at neighborhood data. It seems the areas where many of Seattle’s new young professionals are moving — downtown, Capitol Hill, etc. — are also showing increases in car ownership. And some of them are paying up to $50,000 for a parking spot. But there could be a good reason for that.

Maybe that’s because if there is one reason to own a car in Seattle that most can agree on, it’s to get out of town. After all, it’s great to get around Seattle without a car and worrying where to park. But what about getting to all the outdoor activities outside of town?

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