‘Car-free’ Seattle Summer Parkways event expected to return to West Seattle this year – later

(2014 WSB photo)

After a year off, a “car-free day” street party is in the works for West Seattle again this year.

SDOT now calls the program “Seattle Summer Parkways,” a change from “Seattle Summer Streets.” For six years, they scheduled the local event to start right after the West Seattle 5K, which is actually in spring (May 22nd this year), and the weather tended to be less than summery. This year, SDOT says, they’re steering in the other direction, and they’re working on a “Summer Parkways” event for Alki that’s likely to be in early fall.

The Summer Parkways website has dates set for two other events around the city already – August 13th in Rainier Valley and August 27th in Ballard – and according to this exchange is looking at a possible date of September 25th for Alki. September was the month that warm sunshine graced the very first “car-free day,” back in 2008 (WSB coverage here). Again, nothing’s finalized yet, but we thought you might want to know it’s in the works.

Matt S. March 20, 2016 (3:56 pm)

I like this. How about a city-wide car free day? (Or week/month.)

Joe Szilagyi March 20, 2016 (4:22 pm)

There is/was a plan to do a thing like this on Pike and Pine between 3rd and I think 5th downtown a couple times each summer during the day – like 12-8 on Saturdays or something. Street fairs, live music, the works. I wonder whatever happened with that.