Friday Roundtable: Pedestrianize The Ave

University Way NE (The Ave") is the historic main street near the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The street is lined with dozens of shops, restaurants, and bars that cater to thousands of UW students and the nearby community. In 2021, the U District Link station opened one block west of The Ave between 43rd St and 45th St. Despite the street constantly buzzing with people shopping and dining, most of the right-of-way is allocated for cars and on-street parking.

University Way is pedestrianized for a few events each year, including the U District Chow Down & Street Party.

University Way runs between NE Pacific St and NE Ravenna Blvd. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on pedestrianizing The Ave between NE 41st St and NE 50th St. There are a few variables that need to be considered when pedestrianizing a street: transit, emergency vehicle access, deliveries, accessibility, and cross streets. Let's take a look at possible solutions for each of these categories.

Transit

King County Metro runs two routes on University Way, routes 45/75 and 79. Both of these routes can easily be moved one block east to 15th Ave NE. The bus only lanes on 15th Ave between 40th St and 45th St will ensure these routes remain reliable. The biggest downside to this move is the increased distance between these routes and U District station. Transferring passengers will now need to walk two blocks (about 4 minutes) on NE 43rd St, instead of one block.

Emergency Vehicle Access

Emergency vehicle access is often brought up as a rebuttal to pedestrianizing an area. Fortunately, the solution is easy: these vehicles are still allowed. While more restaurants will take advantage of the pedestrian space for additional outdoor seating, a 12ft lane should remain clear of furniture at all times. Unlike cars, people walking can easily move to the side when an emergency vehicle is using the street.

Cross Streets, ADA Accessibility, and Deliveries

Excluding the boundary streets (41st Ave and 50th Ave), this pedestrian street crosses four streets: NE 42nd St, NE 43rd St, NE 45th St, and NE 47th St. 45th St is a major arterial with many bus routes and should continue to run across University Ave with a signalized crossing.

NE 43rd St facing west from 15th Ave

NE 43rd St is a minor cross street that is used by Metro routes 44, 49, 70, and 372. Today, the block to the west of The Ave has a bus only lane in westbound and a bike lane eastbound. The block east of The Ave has a general purpose lane westbound and a bike lane eastbound. The block to the east should be updated to have a bus only lane between the University Book Store parking lot entrance and University Way. Additionally, a short general purpose lane should be added eastbound between 15th Ave and the entrance to the parking lot (in the foreground of the picture). The intersection at NE 43rd St & University Way NE should continue to use a traffic signal. The signal should be timed with the left turn signal at 15th Ave NE so buses do not need to wait at the light approaching The Ave.

NE 42nd St and NE 47th St are both minor streets that cross The Ave. These streets should be blocked off to allow a continuous pedestrian environment. On both streets, on-street parking between Brooklyn Ave and University Way should be completely allocated for ADA parking and turn around space. On street parking between 15th Ave and University Way should be allocated for 30 minute loading/unloading zones and and turn around space. The many shops and restaurants on The Ave will also need loading/unloading space close to their establishments. Fortunately, mid-block alleys run the full length of the proposed pedestrianized area. Alternatively, local deliveries could continue to use The Ave during less busy hours (eg: 6am-9am).

Do you think The Ave should be pedestrianized? Or, should it be converted to a transit mall?

This is an open thread.