Only vehicular traffic from delivery drivers, first responders, sanitation crews and residents are allowed access.
So not exactly "closed" – just not suited to through traffic. Lots of neighborhoods do this with speed bumps, 20mph limits, capping roads off, 'Mini Hollands' and other traffic calming measures. All good stuff, but still doesn't quite mean you can let the kids out to play in the street all day, alas.
There will be more cars on the road then ever soon. When we start to return to work, most people will avoid mass transit because of COVID19 concerns and start driving again. Only a very tiny percentage of people bike to work. Shutting down streets makes no sense. Seattle city government is a joke.
The roads aren’t major arteries, they’re pedestrian/neighborhood roads. This is to improve safety for the kids that are still out of school while everyone rushes back downtown.
There seems to be an idea that this will be better for bike commuting. Having done a lot of that, I'm wary. Side streets are already fairly car-free. The catch is that you still have to cross major arteries, and if things aren't set up right, you can end up stopped for a long time waiting for that traffic to clear.
5 comments
[ 5.0 ms ] story [ 25.6 ms ] threadSo not exactly "closed" – just not suited to through traffic. Lots of neighborhoods do this with speed bumps, 20mph limits, capping roads off, 'Mini Hollands' and other traffic calming measures. All good stuff, but still doesn't quite mean you can let the kids out to play in the street all day, alas.