SDOT Retreats on Pioneer Square Bike and Scooter Corral Plan

A Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) plan to add on-street bike and scooter corrals across Pioneer Square has been dramatically scaled back, a direct response to opposition to the idea from local business owners and neighborhood residents.

Initially, SDOT had been asking for approval from the Pioneer Square preservation board to install on-street corrals at 21 locations in the neighborhood by this summer, adding new parking spots for free-floating bikes and scooters ahead of the FIFA Men's World Cup while also improving pedestrian safety by maintaining sightlines at intersections. But that has now been reduced to just three, SDOT told The Urbanist this week. Instead, the department will install no-parking signs close to intersections, a treatment that is much less self-enforcing than a physical barrier like a bike corral.

In addition to the 21 on-street corrals, SDOT had proposed adding 7 off-street corrals to sidewalks in Pioneer Square, which still remain part of the proposal. Overall, the number of initial corrals would drop by approximately 64% – and that's if the preservation board ultimately does sign off in the coming weeks.

The initial plan would have only resulted in the removal of one to two legal parking spaces across the entire neighborhood, but parking removal – along with aesthetic concerns related to any changes to Pioneer Square's historically designated streetscapes – ultimately caused the major retreat.

https://www.theurbanist.org/sdot-retreats-on-pioneer-square-bike-and-scooter-corral-plan/