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Start of three-storm weather wave might wash out Pike People Street — UPDATE: Postponed

The threat of historically high winds and torrential rain has Seattle Department of Transportation officials hitting refresh on the latest weather reports Wednesday to determine if the next edition of the Pike People Street test should go on Thursday night with city crews closing off streets and setting up tables and chairs.

“People wanting to sit in a chair and utilize public space might be pretty low,” said SDOT’s Seth Geiser.

UPDATE:

The National Weather Service says to get your galoshes ready:

HOWEVER…THE FIRST BIG INCREASE IN SOUTHERLY WIND WILL HAPPEN ON THE COAST ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON…SPREADING INLAND ON THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL OCCUR FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF A DEEP LOW CENTER THROUGH THE REGION. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST HIGH WIND WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR DETAILS ON THE THURSDAY NIGHT STORM. HEFTY RAINFALL TOTALS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING…RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE: 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE INTERIOR LOWLANDS…2 TO 5 INCHES ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS…AND 4 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. THIS WILL CAUSE RISES ON AREA RIVERS…WITH FLOODING POSSIBLE ON A FEW. REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD BULLETINS FOR DETAILS.

Thursday’s event has been planned to close one lane of vehicle traffic on E Pike and 11th Ave from 4 PM-10 PM to make way for art and outdoor dining while allowing vehicle traffic to still flow through the area in conjunction with the neighborhood’s monthly art walk. If cancelled, the plans for the second pilot test might be bumped up to take over what was planned as the third and final Pike People Street test slated for Sunday. Meanwhile, the Capitol Hill Art Walk typically soldiers on, three-storm wave or no.

The latest and hoped-to-be final round of testing of the Pike People Street program got off to a hitch-free start Friday with a session designed to evaluate the closure during late-night nightlife hours on the street.

Pike People Street Test #2 Art Walk Edition

 

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joser
joser
7 years ago

I was more or less expecting this. Back when it was announced I wondered “Why are they doing this so late in the year?” And a couple of people suggested that maybe they wanted to do the tests when there’s less traffic (foot and car) just to minimize the disruption if things go really badly. But the whole point of a test is to see how an idea works when stressed and to see how much of a difference it actually makes when it is really used, so the best time to do that is in the summer.

I’m not sure what results they’re going to get, and what it’s going to tell them, if cars are creeping along with their windshield wipers on max and the few pedestrians are scurrying from point to point as fast as they can. That’s not the situation that is creating the car/ped interactions this initiative is trying to solve.

poncho
poncho
7 years ago
Reply to  joser

Exactly, likewise with the pedestrian plaza going in within the next week at Denny/Olive Way/Summit. Perfect timing for the rainy season of the next 6+ months.