Can we never do Open Streets again?

[Anonymous]

I thought it was great. There were lots of people, music, etc. My kids loved the bounce house and truck touch stuff. I just wish they had let businesses set up tables or tents in the street or on the sidewalk (or brought in food trucks) so it would have been easier to get food. We did go to Lulabelles for ice cream though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear Popville,

I wanted to drive my car right next to a major event and had to sit in traffic! Ugh, why don't people get out of my way? I'm going to be late for my Soulcycle Zumba class. Don't these people understand that I have places to drive?

You must read a different Popville than I do. An open air street festival is right up their alley.

[Anonymous]

It was empty at 10:00 but got more and more crowded throughout the day. I thought it was really cool, and the businesses seemed really busy. I would love for the city to do this more often!

[Anonymous]

You all are full of it. I was there all day as a vendor and can tell you thousands of people were out. And it was hard to clear the streets. The local businesses were busy and they got foot traffic and new people noticing them. All of my neighbors were and everyone who lives up loves it. GA does not get “hundreds of thousands” of cars on and certainly not on the weekends. We are starting now to make it an annual thing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe we could at least call it Empty Streets? Since it seemed to benefit no one but a handful of bicyclists.

+1

The local businesses must hate it. There is no one out compared to the usual Saturday morning.

The local businesses loved it. Especially ones that got a lot of new business from people who never noticed them before. If you got stuck in traffic going to grocery store then you didn’t plan well and that’s your fault. I would guess around 5000 people came out. You all need to get out of your bubbles and cars. Open GA ave every year.

[Anonymous]

I heard many people say things along the lines of "oh, I never saw that popcorn place before, didn't know it was there..."

I bought food and books at a place about a mile and a half south of me. I wouldn't have gone or brought my kids if the street had been as usual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard many people say things along the lines of "oh, I never saw that popcorn place before, didn't know it was there..."

I bought food and books at a place about a mile and a half south of me. I wouldn't have gone or brought my kids if the street had been as usual.

Sounds like you've never been to Petworth before. Everyone knows "that popcorn place." It's called Stella's.

[Anonymous]

I went to the Safeway on Georgia Avenue during Open Streets and it was almost completely empty. Big change from the usual Saturday. One good thing about Open Streets, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Open Streets caused massive traffic jams throughout Petworth, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of people. But, hey, 50 bicyclists got to ride their bikes down the middle of the street!

I doubt that!

NP. Okay so maybe not hundreds of thousands but it certainly made trying to go north on 13th, 14th or 16th a nightmare today. Can't speak for the other streets. Maybe no parking on 16th streets when they do this? Or come up with other traffic patterns to help?

Easily hundreds of thousands. There's probably 50,000 people who live in Petworth. There's probably 35,000 in Brightwood. Those are just the neighborhoods immediately affected. Now think of everyone, on a Saturday, trying to get anywhere between Silver Spring and downtown DC. And all the people trying to go EOTP to WOTP. Georgia avenue is a major artery and closing it shunts an enormous amount of traffic onto side streets that were never designed to accommodate so many cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard many people say things along the lines of "oh, I never saw that popcorn place before, didn't know it was there..."

I bought food and books at a place about a mile and a half south of me. I wouldn't have gone or brought my kids if the street had been as usual.

Sounds like you've never been to Petworth before. Everyone knows "that popcorn place." It's called Stella's.

I live a few blocks away, and of course know it. I'd guess it was people who live south of there - Parkview / Pleasant Plains / Columbia Heights who wandered up. Big bonus for the businesses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear Popville,

I wanted to drive my car right next to a major event and had to sit in traffic! Ugh, why don't people get out of my way? I'm going to be late for my Soulcycle Zumba class. Don't these people understand that I have places to drive?

Dear Popville,

I want to ride my scooter, even though I am definitely not five years old! And I want to do it in the middle of the street! Ugh, can't we shut down the equivalent of a mid-sized city to accommodate ME?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Open Streets caused massive traffic jams throughout Petworth, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of people. But, hey, 50 bicyclists got to ride their bikes down the middle of the street!

I doubt that!

NP. Okay so maybe not hundreds of thousands but it certainly made trying to go north on 13th, 14th or 16th a nightmare today. Can't speak for the other streets. Maybe no parking on 16th streets when they do this? Or come up with other traffic patterns to help?

Easily hundreds of thousands. There's probably 50,000 people who live in Petworth. There's probably 35,000 in Brightwood. Those are just the neighborhoods immediately affected. Now think of everyone, on a Saturday, trying to get anywhere between Silver Spring and downtown DC. And all the people trying to go EOTP to WOTP. Georgia avenue is a major artery and closing it shunts an enormous amount of traffic onto side streets that were never designed to accommodate so many cars.

Uh dude - I'm the one who was inconvenienced because I had to drive a carpool and not all those hundreds of thousands were out driving. Yikes. Thousands....maybe...maybe tens of thousands

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are full of it. I was there all day as a vendor and can tell you thousands of people were out. And it was hard to clear the streets. The local businesses were busy and they got foot traffic and new people noticing them. All of my neighbors were and everyone who lives up loves it. GA does not get “hundreds of thousands” of cars on and certainly not on the weekends. We are starting now to make it an annual thing!

I wish it was more than an annual thing, TBH. I try not to use my car at all on weekends- use public transit, walk, or bike everywhere I need to go. I wish more people would do this, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Open Streets caused massive traffic jams throughout Petworth, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of people. But, hey, 50 bicyclists got to ride their bikes down the middle of the street!

I doubt that!

NP. Okay so maybe not hundreds of thousands but it certainly made trying to go north on 13th, 14th or 16th a nightmare today. Can't speak for the other streets. Maybe no parking on 16th streets when they do this? Or come up with other traffic patterns to help?

Easily hundreds of thousands. There's probably 50,000 people who live in Petworth. There's probably 35,000 in Brightwood. Those are just the neighborhoods immediately affected. Now think of everyone, on a Saturday, trying to get anywhere between Silver Spring and downtown DC. And all the people trying to go EOTP to WOTP. Georgia avenue is a major artery and closing it shunts an enormous amount of traffic onto side streets that were never designed to accommodate so many cars.

Meh, I live in Brightwood; I saw signs about open streets for months prior - I used 16th street and got to WOTP just fine. I also enjoyed out walking trip to GA avenue and hope this becomes an annual event! Agree about parking restrictions on 16th street though, the weekend always slows NB traffic down so might help to keep things moving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe we could at least call it Empty Streets? Since it seemed to benefit no one but a handful of bicyclists.

Not sure what you saw, the retail and restaurants had a banner day and thousands were out enjoying it.