Thread by @QAGreenways, Wow, it really does look like ⁦@seattledot⁩ is committed to providing zero [...]

Wow, it really does look like ⁦ @seattledot⁩ is committed to providing zero protection for pedestrians on Barbara Bailey Way. No curb. No bollards. Nothing.

Dear SDOT:

Of course, cars will behave and no one will—I don’t know—drive the wrong way down this one-way street.

This commenter raises interesting points that I would like to address. It is nice to begin with areas of agreement and we agree it is a curbless street.

The part about curbless streets being all the rage in Europe probably needs to be addressed in greater detail. Europe is a large place and it’s possible some things are getting lost in translation.

Europe has a lot of curbless streets, new and old. Here’s a wide one in Paris. Note the row of bollards protecting the plaza section from the street section.

Here’s a brand new one in Brussels, viewed from both directions. Pedestrians move freely in a curbless environment but cars are constrained to a narrow channel.

Same thing in Lyon, where cars are guided across a brand new curbless street.

“But I’ve seen curbless streets in Europe with no bollards!” Yes, and this is where the context and design details matter. Here’s another brand new curbless street in Lyon. It is peppered with traffic-calming granite blocks.

Another new street in Brussels. No curbs! No bollards! But to figure this one out, you have to walk over to the entrance where a heavy duty portal treatment only permits necessary traffic.

The Dutch are subtlest of all. No curbs, no bollards, but also nowhere to park and a labyrinth of canals and narrow cobbled streets to get to this spot, nestled deep in the Delft city center, by car.

So, there are tons of curbless streets in Europe. It’s a great concept that we should definitely import.

But we need to pay close attention to traffic operations, context, and the details of design to ensure we are creating safe and comfortable places for pedestrians.