On Saturday, Seattle Women’s March 2.0 will take action with tens of thousands of demonstrators hitting city streets. As a sort of annual uninauguration, demonstrators will show their resistance to a hateful, ignorant, and cruel authoritarian occupying the Office of the Presidency and his complicit regime. Marchers are expected to travel from Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill to Seattle Center. The rally at Cal Anderson Park kicks off at 10am followed by the march at 11am.
Last year, the march brought out more than 175,000 demonstrators who walked from Judkins Park to Seattle Center. Even if this year’s march does not eclipse last year’s attendance, it will bring similar traffic snags to city streets and local highways. For those walking and biking, the demonstration probably will create only a minor disruption. Transportation officials, however, are telling people to add extra time to their travel plans. Traffic disruptions are anticipated to last from 10am to 3pm.
Local transit agencies plan to run normal Saturday service but provide special service on some routes to help demonstrators get to and from the event. King County Metro Transit will provide added service on Routes 8, 41, 44, 101, 150, and 255 as well as RapidRide C, D, and E Lines as needed. Sound Transit will run extra buses on ST Express Routes 512, 550, and 554 and add trips to light rail service. Extra trips may also be added to ST Express routes serving Pierce County depending upon demand. These extra trips will not appear in transit apps and real-time information may be temporarily jumbled or off.
With the event kicking off at Cal Anderson Park, right on the doorstep of Capitol Hill Station, getting to the event should be easier for transit-riding demonstrators than last year–when the march started at Judkins Park, which lacks a light rail station until East Link opens in 2023. In addition to light rail connecting riders from University of Washington to Angle Lake, many local bus routes pass by the station and park. At the end of the march, shuttles from Seattle Center back to Downtown Seattle will be provided. These will depart from 1st Ave N and Harrison St on the west side of Seattle Center.
During the march, Metro and Sound Transit routes that ordinarily operate on or cross the march route will be retrouted. ST Express Route 512 will terminate at Westlake Station instead of continuing south.
March organizers have put together a handy map to highlight the march route. The march will proceed down from Capitol Hill via E Pine St to the city center and pass by Westlake Park. Once reaching Fourth Avenue, marchers will head north until Cedar Street turning right to reach Fifth Avenue. Marchers will continue north on Fifth Avenue for a few short blocks until they meet Harrison St where they’ll turn left to reach the march’s terminus at Seattle Center.
Demonstrators may want to bring snacks and water as the demonstration may proceed slowly given the large numbers of people. Hopefully, the day of civic action will energize people to organize and campaign for progress.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.