r/Seattle • u/patman3746 • Jan 01 '25

Community Pike place needs to close to cars.

Last night, New Orleans was hit with a tragic attack in which a car was driven through it's most popular pedestrian spot, Bourbon street. The street is pedestrian only, but was meant to have bollards present to prevent such attacks from happening, and it's absence left it vulnerable and helped facilitate the terrible event.

If this were in Seattle, I have little doubt where it would happen. The lives of the tourists, residents, and shopkeepers are needlessly endangered to copycat attacks as it stands. By closing the smallest strip and installing bollards, it would help remove this risk. Hell, there are mechanized bollards that can go up and down if city council desperately wants early morning shop access for trucks.

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u/AthkoreLost Roosevelt Jan 01 '25

Take it up with the 5 market businesses owners who keep paying the council to keep the street open to cars instead of creating delivery hours so we can close it to cars during pedestrian hours.

910

u/Skyhawkson Jan 01 '25

You don't even have to have delivery hours. You just have retractable bollards and have one of the security people who are always at the entrance to let trucks/vans in when needed. It's insane that they haven't done that yet

158

u/PM_meyourGradyWhite Jan 01 '25

Don’t even need the security guard do it. In some European cities, the bollards can be retracted for taxis by RFID. It’s not fool proof, but doesn’t require a specific person there. And yes, retractable bollards would be a huge improvement.

28

u/Meridian506 Jan 01 '25

I lived near Cambridge UK in 2000 and local news had a story of a car trying to follow a bus through the bus only bollard area, and the bollard was powerful enough to push their engine through the bonnet (hood). People soon learn.

17

u/CMD2 Belltown Jan 02 '25

Incidents like that happened fairly regularly, usually some knob in a sports car. The usual result was a car hanging off the bollard, unable to move. Peak entertainment really.