Tag Archive for 'Pike Place market'

How did the recent closure of Pike Pl affect vendors?

July 25, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:45 am - 2 Comments

Drivers are currently not allowed to drive through Pike Place Market due to ongoing construction and road closures.

Some people feel that Pike Place Market should be closed to vehicles permanently. Vendors, however, prefer that the road remain open. Last year, we asked if the road should be closed and respondents came out heavily in favor of the idea. This is a walking blog, though, so that probably skewed the results.

If this were a real journalistic outlet, we would conduct interviews with vendors to provide some perspective. As it is, I can only offer my opinion that the Market is better off without cars.

Has anyone else been there with the road closed? How do you think it worked out?

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2 Comments. Tags: , . issues

Driver who struck pedestrians at Pike Place Market pleads not guilty

January 10, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:26 am - Closed

The driver who struck three pedestrians at Pike Place Market while under the influence has pleaded not guilty:

SEATTLE – The man who hit three pedestrians at the Pike Place Market last month has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Published reports say 39-year-old Travis Lipski pleaded not guilty to two counts of vehicular assault.

Lipski admitted that he’d smoked synthetic marijuana just before he drove toward a couple on the sidewalk, clipping the woman and then hitting her husband. He then hit a second woman, pinning her against a truck.

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Closed. Tags: , . pedestrian collision

Out of control driver was under the influence

December 21, 2010: published by Troy Heerwagen at 7:09 pm - 1 Comment

The driver who struck three pedestrians at Pike Place Market was under the influence at the time of the accident:

King County prosecutors filed vehicular assault charges Tuesday against a driver who struck three pedestrians outside Pike Place Market.

Filing the charges, prosecutors claim Travis Clinton Lipski was high on Thursday morning when he drove a Subaru through a red light near the market and struck three people.

According to charging documents, Lipski, 39, has twice been convicted of driving under the influence. The Seattle resident is alleged to have admitted to smoking an herbal substance similar in its effects to marijuana shortly before the crashes.

Vehicular assault carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and prison and a $20,000 fine.

Fortunately all three pedestrians are expected to survive, however two sustained broken bones and one of the two is still in the hospital.

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Car strikes pedestrians at Pike Place Market

December 17, 2010: published by Troy Heerwagen at 7:54 am - 3 Comments

From the Times

Three pedestrians were injured when a car went out of control near the Pike Place Market late Thursday morning.

Seattle police said the driver was arrested and was being evaluated Thursday for impairment. He was booked into King County Jail and is being held without bail on suspicion of vehicular assault, which is a felony.

At about 11:30 a.m., a 1997 Subaru wagon was headed west down Stewart Street past First Avenue toward the Market, according to Seattle police Sgt. Bill Robertson and the department’s online blog.

All three pedestrians were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said Thursday evening the women were in satisfactory condition and the man was in serious condition.

None of them have life-threatening injuries, she said.

While a driver could have been out of control anywhere, the fact that it happened in one of the busiest pedestrian areas of the city means that more people were hit than would have been hit elsewhere. Would closing Pike Place Market to vehicles be worthwhile if it prevents accidents like these from occurring there?

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Should Pike Place be closed to motor vehicles?

October 18, 2010: published by Troy Heerwagen at 1:38 pm - 4 Comments

One of the best places in Seattle to experience on foot in Seattle is Pike Place market. However, with the crowds of tourists that the summer months bring, the people overflow from the sidewalks into the road and people compete for space with vehicles.

Jaywalking is legal around the market, but if the streets were closed to cars, people on foot could walk around with more freedom, turning the market into a great pedestrian plaza.

However, market vendors tend to prefer the current configuration, which allows access by delivery drivers and early-morning customers.

[poll id=”2″]

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4 Comments. Tags: , , . issues