Seattle is deciding the future of how trucks will get around our city, and the Freight Master Plan provides us with an opportunity to help move goods efficiently and safely through the city. Local residents, businesses, freight companies, manufacturers, and community councils have weighed in – now we want to hear from you!
Forty percent of jobs in Washington are tied to freight related activity, and that includes more than just next day deliveries from online shopping. The medicine for hospitals, the groceries for stores, the gas for cars, even the beer at your favorite bar all depend on Seattle’s network of planes, trains, ships, and trucks.
How your fish and chips travels by freight
As Seattle continues to grow, the amount of goods moving on our streets is expected to increase over 60 percent over the next 20 years. To support this growth, and keep traffic flowing, we’ve drafted a Freight Master Plan designed to:
- Grow our economy
- Improve safety for everyone on the road
- Connect industrial areas, business districts, and transportation hubs
- Maintain and improve our roads
- Protect communities who live near freight corridors
- Cut down on harmful pollution
To reach these goals, we’ve proposed a number of ideas, ranging from redesigning intersections and restricting idling to improving loading zone enforcement and implementing new emissions reduction technologies. In addition to city funds, these efforts will be supported by the Levy to Move Seattle, the Port of Seattle, the State of Washington, and federal grants.
First Avenue and Pike Street, looking east up Pike Street. Source: Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection
Our city has come a long way since the above photo from First and Pike a century ago, and we need a freight plan that makes sense with modern demands. We want to hear your ideas of how we can keep goods moving, keep streets safe, and keep Seattle green today and in the future.
Read the full proposal here, and be sure to send your comments to FreightMasterPlan@seattle.gov by July 8, 2016.