Quote:
Originally Posted by flatlander
I'd prefer to see more carrots for pedestrians than sticks for cars. Make it as pedestrian friendly as possible and ensure that people have priority over cars. Is there an example of a really great pedestrian-only street that works? Sparks Street and Stephen Avenue don't do much for me.
|
Good point. The presence of motor vehicles on roadways is not the problem. The problem is when the rapid movement of motor vehicles comes at the expense of other uses--parking, dropping off, shopping, walking, resting--that the street's vibrancy dies out. Albert Street presently strikes a good balance of uses, and that's why it's becoming so popular (and why my wife is spending my money there as we speak). Corydon, a street with higher traffic volumes, also strikes a good balance. Streets with even larger volumes can do that: Manhattan avenues and Parisian boulevards do; Portage Avenue and Main Street used to.
Temporary street closures can be a good thing: they close Bannatyne from Arthur to King during Fringe Fest (don't they close King from Bannatyne to William, too?) and it's great. They could do the same for Albert and Arthur during Fringe, Jazz, and other big events, but I don't think a full time closure is neccessary in making the street more nicer, or would be better for business.