Seattle: Third Avenue Transit Mall

The Third Avenue Transit mall in downtown Seattle spans 13 blocks, totalling 0.8 miles (1.2 km). It represents the major north-south trunk bus route through downtown, hosting most downtown-bound transit lines run by King County Metro, totalling some 290 buses per hour in each direction during peak on the busiest section, between Seneca and Pike Street. The Third Avenue transit mall was established in 2005, when the transit tunnel (opened in 1990) that runs underneath was closed to buses to enable exclusive LRT operations, even though the idea of a transit mall had been floated several times since the 1980s. Initially, private vehicles were banned only during rush hours (6 - 9 am and 3 - 6:30 pm), but operating hours were later extended to most daytime hours (6 am - 7 pm). Due to high volumes, buses operate on a “skip-stop” basis, stopping at alternating locations along the corridor. Bikes are allowed to use the entire corridor, while private vehicles must turn right at the next intersection, a principle similar to that applied on Transit and Direct Access Streets (A3).