This summer Main Street in SLC will close again on Friday and Saturday from 2pm to 2am to have an active, open environment.
I’ve been thinking for years this has been a good experiment but doesn’t go far enough. I seriously think SLC should consider closing the street from N Temple to 500 S, or maybe even 600 S to almost all vehicle traffic 24/7. 365 days per year. Why not? TRAX runs right down the middle every few minutes. It’s already highly congested because of TRAX and little is gained by actually driving through there with better choices one block away in each direction, both of which have access to parking that doesn’t exist on Main. The walk from one of the four TRAX stations to anything on Main people want to do is shorter than from most parking structures, to boot. Obviously service vehicles for the businesses and emergency vehicles would be allowed, but essentially it becomes an open, walking plaza in the heart of the city.
I was down there last night, and sure the Pride festival had an impact, but it was hopping scene. Most great cities have car free zones and that work fine. Now, do I think SLC is going to compete with Prague, Vienna, etc as far as great central squares? Nope, but why not take a step in that direction?
As I look at the photo and think about Main Street in the 60’s (when I was young, living in the Avenues, and walking or riding the bus downtown every few days for a million reasons, primarily music lessons) my only thought is that the beautiful set of buildings, housing family run businesses then in place were a spectacular alternative to what’s there now.
I’d kill for 10 cents worth of the mixed nuts at Morrow’s Nut House on any cold winter afternoon these days.
It does support my theory that all traffic problems are caused by people in pickup trucks and Priuses.
And before you get offended, imagine a Venn diagram with two overlapping circles, one with pickup trucks, and one with Prius and the overlapping area is traffic problems. All traffic problems being caused by pick up trucks, doesn’t mean all pickup trucks cause traffic problems (even if they all basically do). If you are wondering, YOU are the exception.
