This corridor currently has narrow sidewalks, and handles thousands of people every day. Most of these people experience and enjoy this area on foot. This area should feel like the destination that it is for patrons, as well as employees and residents. This area needs to:
- Divert through traffic, while retaining one lane on each street to ensure deliveries, patrons, and residents can access every driveway
- Allow businesses the ability to get permits to expand further into the right of way, in a similar way to the existing parklets
- Vehicle traffic control should not require staffing to setup or remove them on a daily basis
- Lighting must be improved, especially in the areas south of Pike
- Allow rapid emergency access
Things we’ve tried before!
2015: We piloted extreme pedestrianization, but only a few weekend nights. People loved it, some businesses struggled with access.
2016: We piloted a little more targeted areas, and we did it in the daytime too and for longer. People loved it, most businesses wanted more.
2017: We did it 10 times! at various times of day and days of week. It went well and wasn’t even particularly newsworthy anymore!
It was a lot of work to throw these one off street parties… so they’ve mostly stopped since then.