Pike Place Market leaders are asking Seattleites to share how they get to the Market and what their experience has been during a pilot program that limits vehicle access on Pike Place.
The Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) has partnered with the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab to launch a visitor survey focused on how locals access and use the Market. Organizers say the survey is intended to help them understand how street management changes affect people who visit, live and work at the Market.
The survey is aimed at gathering feedback on “ways the limited vehicle access pilot has affected how, when, and why they visit the Market,” according to the announcement. Responses will be used to help shape recommendations about the future of street management on Pike Place.
The Urban Freight Lab study will combine traffic camera data, Market merchant survey data and local customer survey data “to paint a full picture of the wide array of users’ needs” related to Pike Place, the announcement said. Organizers said the approach is intended to produce data-driven recommendations about future street operations at the Market.The announcement said street management at Pike Place Market requires balancing safety, accessibility, deliveries, emergency access and visitor experience while supporting merchant success. It said the research will help guide future decisions by the PDA and partners, including the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Fire and Police departments, the Market Historical Commission and the mayor’s office.
The survey comes as the iconic outdoor market has already made several changes aimed at accessibility.
As Seattle prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of people for the FIFA World Cup in June, Pike Place Market leaders said the Market will install temporary protective structures such as large planters and anti-vehicle barriers to protect the area while keeping it safe and accessible for residents and visitors. Some vendors, however, said past efforts like this have hurt business because they made it more difficult for customers and delivery personnel to drive and park in the market.
Last year, Pike Place launched a pilot program to cut congestion through the market by limiting vehicle access at First Avenue and Pike Place. Former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell started talks about limiting vehicle access for safety reasons following the New Year’s Eve attack on people walking in New Orleans, where 14 people were killed after a truck rammed through a crowd on Bourbon Street.
The Urban Freight Lab, based at the University of Washington, is described as a nationally recognized research group that studies how goods move in urban areas. Its Seattle-based work has included research on shopping behavior during the West Seattle Bridge closure, truck parking and loading zones, and freight impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. The announcement said the study of the Limited Vehicle Access Pilot is being conducted on behalf of the PDA and SDOT.
Organizers said the survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete and that responses are anonymous.