the 17th street campaign
almost two miles from bloomingdale .. but i thought this was an interesting resurgence of an old.. and in dc, failed... idea.
I'm personally a big fan of pedestrian only areas....I also think that we will see this idea crop up more and more in DC.
here is some text from the website:
17th Street, between Massachusetts and New Hampshire is the ideal location for a pedestrian promenade
in Washington due to several factors:
· The vast majority of people arriving at the businesses in the neighborhood already arrive on foot, not by car
· The area is dominated by independent restaurants and small shops, which would benefit by increased
pedestrian traffic and the ability to use parts of the promenade for additional seating and space.
· The area is bounded on one end by residential areas and the other by dense office buildings, insuring
use of the promenade for both lunchtime and evening/weekend activities.
· Minimal traffic and no metrobus routes currently exist on 17th Street, and traffic could easily be
diverted to New Hampshire, 16th and 18th Streets with minimal disruption.
As long as the cross streets stay open, I like the idea. Even though, as you say, most of the traffic to the businesses comes by foot, a reasonable portion of it is probably people parking in the neighborhood and walking to 17th street. Also there would be significant traffic changes if the cross streets closed.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: you say should be the web page says
ReplyDelete