The first match is Monday, June 15th, with five more to follow over the next few weeks.
New Seattle World Cup Vehicle Rules Baffling
Jason Rantz of AM 770 KTTH Radio and Seattle Red is the only media figure who has pointed out the Catch 22-lunacy of Seattle’s World Cup Soccer traffic rules.
This last weekend, WSDOT suspended its work on the I-5 northbound lanes of the Ship Canal Bridge, presumably to allow World Cup traffic into town. Good plan, most people agree.
However, Rantz says while allowing a much freer flow of traffic (as opposed to 2 lanes) at the ‘other’ end, it’s chaos.
Seattle Has Essentially ‘Banned’ Vehicles well over a mile away or More from Stadium
On Match Days, traffic is going to be absent from the Pioneer Square area, parking garages a mile away from Lumen will be closed to vehicles, and street closures begin four hours before the matches begin.
Rantz reports that traffic parking restrictions begin at 2 AM, which he says is lots of ‘fun’ for delivery drivers, business vehicles, or even people who live nearby to get to work, appointments and more. If you live within one of these restricted zones, come Monday, you won’t be able to drive out to get to work, or your kid to an appointment, as he points out.
Why Open Up I-5 More, but Throttle Downtown?
According to Rantz:
“The official goal, repeated by SeattleFWC26 CEO Peter Tomozawa and Gov. Bob Ferguson, is for 80 percent of fans to skip personal vehicles altogether.”
The SoDo, or South of Downtown, District, Pioneer Square region, stadium parking lots, the parking garages–all off limits. Rantz says families and fans who rented a car to get around during the event will find it to be an “expensive paperweight” and useless to get to the game or games.
Read more about his asessment of this bizarre policy, by clicking here.