Dept. Of Great Ideas From Otherwise Insane Cat-Lady Types: Car-Free Sundays In Philly
You kind of have to love (and by “love” we mean “usually not take seriously at all”) the content-Ponzi scheme that is those Examiner.com sites where anyone, anyone at all, can become “Philadelphia Atheism Examiner” or “Philadelphia Online Relationships Examiner” or “Philadelphia Otherwise Unpublishable But For A Chain Website Examiner.” But today comes an idea we actually like from Philadelphia Bicycle Transportation Examiner Carol Raskind, who wonders, hey, wouldn’t it be fun if Philly had a few car-free Sundays per year? Other cities have had great success with the program — it forces folks to buy local, engage with their neighbors and all kinds of good stuff — so why not us? Added benefits: No suburban relatives intruding on your hangovers, perfect excuse to sleep all day, and of course, since there’s no risk at all of drunk driving, endless Bloodys. Sign us up.
August 17th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I’m down for this :) However, what about those who want to leave the city?
August 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
What other cities do this? So much of Philly is already walkable, its not like people need to discover their local businesses. If someones wants to drive somewhere they probably actually need to or are too lazy to get on a bike no matter what.
What we should have are practical, car free zones that improve quality of life, like making the Italian Market closed to cars on Saturdays and maybe making Walnut St West ped-only once a month.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Oh and if Rittenhouse Sq was carfree image all the al fresco dining we’d have… it would feel positively European.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
We did have a carfree zone til recently – Chestnut Street btwn 18th and 6th. Its part of the reason all the businesses left Chestnut and moved to Walnut. (Hard to imagine, but Chestnut used to be the tonier shopping street…) Still, the other cities that do carfree days are mostly European (I’ve been in central London during a carfree day), and the point isn’t to support local businesses as much as to enjoy a quiet and stress-free day in town. I don’t think any of us realize how much ever-present background noise and stress cars create. However, since this is the land of capitalism-at-all-costs (yes, even Philly) so you might as well start hoping for free unicorns, universal healthcare, and other impossible dreams while you’re at it.