Pedestrian Counts

The Metropolitan Improvement District conducts pedestrian counts each year during the important summer (August) and holiday (December) seasons. These counts are done during the “peak” times over the course of one weekday: the morning commute, lunch rush and the afternoon commute. Each shift is 1.5 hours. Nine sites have been consistently counted since 2007. The summer 2012 count included 17 sites throughout downtown.

Here’s a snapshot of the findings from the 2012 pedestrian counts:

  • Retail Core sites continue to be the busiest sites regardless of season. Sixth & Pine was the busiest during the 2012 holiday count, followed by Fifth & Olive.
  • Overall Downtown traffic is generally higher in the summer than during the holiday season.
  • The greatest increases were seen at the sites along the waterfront.
  • After several years of increase, the sites in the South Lake Union area saw a leveling off this year. However, a site at Denny and Westlake saw a 47 percent increase during the lunch hour count.
  • Sites in tourist areas tend to see much lower traffic during the December wave compared to the August wave. The two waterfront sites (Alaskan & Seneca, Alaskan & Pike Street Hillclimb) saw the greatest difference between summer and holiday traffic.

Find more information and detailed reports at the links below:

For pedestrian count reports from past years, visit our Research Library.