City traffic alert: Three marches tomorrow

The city just sent out a traffic alert about three May Day marches tomorrow that might affect you even though they’re not in West Seattle – particularly if you use Alaskan Way or East Marginal Way – so we’re passing it along:

Three separate May Day marches are scheduled for Thursday,
May 1. The events will likely cause traffic disruptions for travelers
near the march routes. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)
recommends that commuters plan accordingly and seek alternative routes
and means of transportation to avoid travel delays.

Two coordinated anti-war, pro-worker parades will begin at 12:30 p.m.
and will march to Pier 66. The first group, estimated at 500 to 2,000
marchers, will gather at Jack Perry Park, just south of S Massachusetts
Street, for the â€œMay Day March & Rally.â€ They will march north on E
Marginal Way to Alaskan Way, and will hold a rally at the Port of
Seattleâ€™s Pier 66.

The second group, of roughly 300 students, will assemble at Seattle
Central Community College on Broadway at Pine for the â€œStudent March
in Support of May 1st.â€ They will travel south on Broadway to Madison
Street; west on Madison to Alaskan Way; and finally north on Alaskan Way
to Pier 66. Depending upon the size of the crowd, lanes southbound on
Alaskan Way could be blocked at Pier 66.

Occurring from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the â€œ9th Annual May Day Rally
& Marchâ€ will involve more than 3,000 participants and is likely to impact
the afternoon commute. The march will move from Judkins Park (on the
north side of I-90 just east of the Mount Baker Tunnel), west on South
Nye Place to 20th Avenue South; north on 20th to South Jackson Street;
west on Jackson to 4th Avenue South; and north on 4th Avenue to the
Seattle Center.

Metro Transit expects that all bus service, especially in downtown and
lower Queen Anne, will be impacted from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with
potential delays of up to an hour or more. To avoid delays, passengers
are encouraged to utilize bus lines that service downtown via the
Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.

KatherineL April 30, 2008 (11:13 am)

“In support of May 1st”? Why does the first day of May need support? All my life it’s come and gone without help from anyone.

Does anyone know if there’ll be Cinco de Mayo festivities?

chas redmond April 30, 2008 (11:20 am)

In the old days, May Day is when the Soviet Union had their big parade. Maybe May 1st is feeling lonely without the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics to help it along.

chas redmond April 30, 2008 (11:21 am)

make that Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. How quickly we forget!

WSB April 30, 2008 (11:27 am)

In case anyone sincerely asks that question – it’s the International Workers’ Holiday. It’s also the anniversary of your West Seattle Blog co-publishers. We used to joke that it was such a momentous occasion, a variety of countries threw us a parade. This year we’re celebrating by throwing a garage sale ;)

OP April 30, 2008 (11:50 am)

May Day is an odd little “holiday” celebrated by pagans and labor workers celebrating economic and civil achievements. Whatever the case, I like WSB’s of holding a garage sale instead. LOL

flowerpetal April 30, 2008 (1:07 pm)

I don’t believe that the pagan religions actually celebrated economic and civil achievements like we are thinking here. May Day (Beltane to the Celts) is a cross-quarter day; that is, half way between the Equinox and Solstice. Its a spring celebration honoring which usually includes great bonfires. Still celebrated in Scotland.

WSB April 30, 2008 (1:23 pm)

When I was a kid (looooooong ago) attending a secular private school in Southern California, we had the maypole dance on May 1st. Streamers, gowns, and all. Anyone still do that?

OP April 30, 2008 (1:38 pm)

WSB: That sounds like a Festivus Pole! LOL

flowerpetal April 30, 2008 (1:48 pm)

Yes, there are a few Maypole celebrations around town. There is one on Thursday afternoon in Woodland Park; I think its late afternoon. There are also the Morris dancers who “dance” May Day in at sunrise at Gas Works Park. This is a long standing tradition at Gas Works.

c@lbob April 30, 2008 (4:20 pm)

Well, well, well. The ILWU sets up a work stoppage in opposition to the war, and our local government thinks only about traffic tie ups and the populace about the history of May Day.

Wake up people! Your blood and treasure is being squandered.

WSB April 30, 2008 (4:47 pm)

Just to be clear – because I wasn’t in the original post – the alert came specifically from a city Transportation Department list to which we are subscribed – and it’s only for traffic alerts. So even if the city has anything else to say about these events, it wouldn’t have been on that list. Sorry, next time I’ll say “from the SODO traffic alert city e-mail list” or whatever.