Make Charles Street a pedestrian promenade forever

Strolling up Charles Street on a picture-perfect early fall day, I was struck by all the smiles. Virtually everyone I saw or made eye contact with had a smile on their face. It was obvious even beneath the masks some were wearing. I hadn’t seen this many smiles on Baltimore’s streets since Delmon Young’s pinch-hit double cleared the bases and propelled the Orioles to victory in a crucial playoff game against Detroit seven years ago.

Thanks to Downtown Partnership, several community groups and city government, we’ve now had three successful days when Charles Street prioritized pedestrians over automobiles. No wonder so many Baltimoreans were smiling this past Saturday (“Baltimore Fishbowl: Charles Street Promenade returns on Sept. 25,” Sept. 20)!

So why not take the next step and make this permanent? With restaurants and other retailers lining both sides of Charles Street along much of the promenade’s path, think about the boost this would be for all these businesses.

Think about the joy of eating or shopping outside without inhaling automobile fumes.

Think about walking up and down Baltimore’s main street without dodging turning cars that fail to stop in the presence of pedestrians in the crosswalks.

I anticipate some will say, “How can Baltimore remove cars from a section of its main north-south thoroughfare?” Well, if New York City can do this along Broadway and ditto for San Francisco along Market Street, why can’t Baltimore figure out how to do the same? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

The late activist and keen observer of urban life Jane Jacobs wrote about the relationship between “eyes on the street” and safe urban neighborhoods. At a time when Baltimore continues to be perceived by many as unsafe, more “feet on the street” will help change that perception while enhancing the safety and vibrancy of Charles Street and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The writer is chair of the Downtown Residents Advocacy Network.