SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Another world leader visits Seattle, but doesn’t snarl traffic
Oct 22, 2015, 3:01 PM | Updated: 3:33 pm
Irish President Michael Higgins applauds as he meets students from Skyline High School Oct. 22 in Sammamish. Higgins was at the school to speak to students and watch a game of Gaelic football, which is taught in Skyline's physical education program. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The President of Ireland is visiting Seattle, but locals might not have realized it.
“Have there been any freeway shutdowns? Nope. Motorcades from Everett to Seattle, from Seattle to Tacoma, from Seattle to Redmond, closing down roads making people sit for 45 minutes? Nope,” noted KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.
Irish President Michael Higgins arrived in the Emerald City Wednesday night. He has met with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and has been visiting sites of interest in the area. He’s staying at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle until Saturday.
“The relationships we have are very important ones,” President Higgins said at Seattle City Hall. “They are, yes, in relation to the most important issue of our time, and in relation to high-quality employment creation, and Microsoft.”
Higgins’ visit comes on the heals of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to the region in September, which significantly impacted local drivers.
Chinese president halted traffic on freeways during peak drive times as he went from Seattle to Redmond, Tacoma and Everett. The area around the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle was flooded with security, and routes in that area were altered.
“Maybe because China buys a lot of Washington’s products,” Show Producer Jake Skorheim said. “They buy a lot of Boeing jets, they have contracts with Microsoft.”
But Ireland is no stranger to Washington trade. Three jets produced locally by Boeing are sent to Ireland each month. Microsoft also has a campus near Dublin that the tech company is expanding. That will mean approximately 2,100 more jobs for that area of Ireland, KING 5 reports.
For Dori, a transit critic with an eye on local traffic issues, it’s proof that a world leader can visit Seattle without inconveniencing the region. He was personally inconvenienced during the Chinese president’s visit.
“It’s obvious that when important presidents of foreign lands come here, they can get around fine without making me late for a Duran Duran concert at the Puyallup Fair,” Dori said.
