Followup: 2 PARKing Day parklets for West Seattle this year

After reporting on Monday that West Seattle Bike Connections is hosting a “parklet” in The Junction on PARKing Day this Friday (September 19th), we asked about anyone else planning one – and heard from Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor), which hosted one alongside its Westwood Village storefront last year and is doing it again. Kathy Dunn from WSBC also points out that the citywide map is now available. Her group’s Junction parklet will be in front of Husky Deli and Mashiko, “with a bicycle/ice cream-oriented theme” – where the temporary “no parking” signs are up, as of just before we took the photo atop this update. PARKing Day hours on Friday are 9 am-3 pm.

10 Replies to "Followup: 2 PARKing Day parklets for West Seattle this year"

  • Cb September 16, 2014 (8:12 pm)

    I really do not understand why businesses would make it more difficult to park in the Junction.
    Makes a ton of sense to me when we have already heard that their sales are down as a result on the decreased parking from the current construction. Good grief!

    • WSB September 16, 2014 (8:33 pm)

      If I wasn’t clear – it’s two spaces for six hours in the middle of the day (a time when parking is seldom maxed out – we visit The Junction during the day several times a week and see that firsthand). I believe the premise behind PARKing Day is that the parklets are actually draws.

  • AJP September 16, 2014 (8:39 pm)

    I don’t often visit the Junction (not because of parking, I always find plenty of free parking in the lots behind the stores), it’s just kind of out of the way for me. But I’m going to try my best to get to that one! And have lunch @ Husky Deli!

  • AJP September 16, 2014 (8:42 pm)

    And you know what else? I’m going to ride my BIKE! With two kids on it! And park in it in the BIKE PARKING CORRAL! And while I’m there other bikes with more people can park in the same spot as me, a space the size for one car usually carrying one or two people. OOOOOOOOOOO!

  • NW September 16, 2014 (8:51 pm)

    Clean the gutter beside your next parking space and rescue debris like that green plastic starbucks straw from entering puget sound. Get creative a parking spot needs maintenance too and we are increasing in population out here tremendously you can make a difference.

  • wetone September 17, 2014 (9:12 am)

    Parking and traffic are getting worse daily in junction area. Even more so with all the construction going on. Don’t bother going through the area anytime between 5-8pm due to the parking hassles and stupid-ness that goes on. We just take our business elsewhere. Glad to see WSBC hosting, maybe the new bike coral will see some use along with the rest of the bike parking areas in the junction. Curious to what the city’s budget is and where money comes from for this program along with how many city workers involved ? planning/permitting/signage delivery/pick-up ….. It would help me with my voting decisions next time :)

    • WSB September 17, 2014 (9:24 am)

      Kathy put up the no-parking signs herself. She’s not an elected official or city employee. I’m sure Councilmember Rasmussen’s office could help you with the other questions. As for 5-8 pm, totally beg to differ, I also find myself in The Junction that time of night for multiple meetings most weeks (now that the Senior Center has become the default spot for community groups as well as city-related gatherings), usually parking in the free lot behind the east side of the Oregon-to-Alaska block, haven’t had a problem yet. (Most recently, last night. Meeting broke up at 8:30. About 20 minutes later, my son and I went back to The Junction for dinner and parked right on California just south of Oregon.) Once the free lots fill up, the cheaper-than-downtown Diamond parking lots have space – noted on a Junction jaunt one night last weekend that they had a couple takers but were nowhere near full. And as noted here multiple times, several of the big projects under construction right now have many more parking spaces than apartments, so there will be even more parking (don’t know what the buildings’ policies will be, but we’ll see soon enough) once they’re done. Sorry I can’t pull out the numbers again right this moment, heading off to a briefing about the Metro budget – TR

  • Kathy September 17, 2014 (11:02 am)

    The thing about having a free 2 hour car parking space right in front of a business… many cars are pretty large and block the view of the business from cars driving by on the street. Less visibility means less awareness of the business by potential customers driving by. The car can stay there for 2 hours while the occupants visit any business they want, often blocking the space for those who actually want to make a short visit to the adjacent business. Many businesses with parking lots (say Bartell’s Admiral location) have time limits for parking based on the average shopping time, thus encouraging more customer turnover and more business. By putting a park in two parking spaces in front of Husky Deli and Mashiko Sustainable Sushi, many more pedestrians (potential customers) will be drawn to the area in the space of 6 hours than would arrive in 6 cars parked for 2 hours each. It is pedestrians who enter the businesses to shop after all, not cars.

  • Elizagrace September 17, 2014 (1:22 pm)

    OMG no parking in two spots in the middle of the day for a short time.

    What the hell will I do with myself? Who can I call about this atrocity?

    That was the exact spot I was planning on parking in.

    Now what!!

    Geeze.

    If only everyone could just consult me before making any decisions at all that would be great.

    ______end sarcasm_____enter reality…

    Cool idea… Now I am craving ice cream. Rocky road sounds nice.

  • Cheryl September 17, 2014 (1:58 pm)

    I don’t understand all the complaints about parking in the Junction. In 7+ years, it never (NEVER!) took me more than 5 minutes to find a spot on the street or in the 3 free lots that are available. Worst case scenario I’ve had to walk a little further, or even on occasion had to (gasp!) pay for a spot in the little Diamond lot across from the US Bank. Seriously… No crises or shortage of parking as far as I’m concerned. Oh, and I drive a fairly large SUV too. Go figure!
    .
    As for PARKing day, love it! Great event. Fun. Raises awareness. Lasts only a few hours. What’s the problem? Oh, arm chair trolls and their waaaaaa’s.
    .
    Sigh. Can’t make everybody happy. Moving on.

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