Today’s online Indy featured an opinion piece by the State Street Business Alliance (SSBA) that clearly indicates their preference for returning car traffic to State Street, using the rationale that “Local Businesses Depend on Visibiity, Convenience, and Customer Traffic.”
On it’s face, it is a convincing argument, and I agree. Unfortunately, the underlying assumptions of the argument belie the facts, i.e.:
“Customer Traffic”: Sorry, folks, but drivers aren’t allowed to conveniently drive their cars into the front door of State Street business. What is true, however, is that pedestrians can drive their feet in quite easily.
“Visibility”: If a driver on State Street is looking into the windows of State Street businesses at 25 mph to decide where to shop, they should be cited for reckless driving. Pedestrians, at 1-2 mph, have a great view, and are much closer (conveniently) to business entry doors.
“Convenience”: Does this imply that SSBA thinks that parking a car on State Street between Haley and Sola was ever easy or convenient? There never was adequate parking on State. Sure, parking is at a premium downtown, but for buddha’s sake, there are parking lots all over.
“…one of the most important circulation routes”: Seriously, folks, if drivers are unaware of Chapala and Anacapa, they haven’t a clue about navigating downtown. In my 55 years in SB, I never, repeat, never, found driving on State Street a convenient way to “circulate.”
To me, the bane of downtown business appears to be:
1. exorbitantly high rents imposed by absentee corporate building owners
2. The demise of locally owned businesses pushed out by chain stores (I loved Ott’s Old Town Mall)
3. Box malls and online shopping (Amazon, WallyWorld, Temu, and the like)
In SBBA’s “perfect world,” would State Street have four lanes plus two lanes of onstreet parking? Would there even be a lane for bikes?
“Dragging the main” on State Street is clearly not the right answer.
