Walk the walk in Downtown Crossing
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RE "WOULD car traffic bring back the crowds? Downtown Crossing's pedestrian dilemma" (Page A1, March 1): Does anyone really believe that people who drive to Chestnut Hill will detour to Washington Street if only we allow traffic jams, pollution, engine noise, and dangerous pedestrian intersections again? If Boston wants to attract high-end shoppers, it needs to provide more of what they want to buy and more of the experiences they want to have.
Downtown Crossing is underused because half of the store frontage is unused. The departure of the familiar big stores, the lack of attractive small ones, and the loss of any public cultural vibrancy are the real reasons for the lack of well-to-do crowds. The pedestrian openness of Downtown Crossing is one of the few reasons people come at all anymore. Boston has to build on that remaining asset, not throw it away.
Steven E. Miller
Board member
Livable Streets Alliance
Robin Chase
CEO, GoLoco.org
