Automobile Access Programs

Limited Access Programs

One method of limiting access is the institution of no-drive days. Generally, no-drive days are voluntary and are designed to improve air quality. No-drive days have been in use since the 1970s, particularly in cities in western states. Denver and Phoenix have implemented no-drive day campaigns during [Page 187]the three to four winter months when air quality is at its worst. The no-drive day campaigns have been credited with reducing emissions by approximately 2 percent in these two cities.

Driving restrictions based on vehicle license plate numbers have been implemented with limited success in cities such as Beijing and Mexico City, but such programs are rare in the United States. Studies have found that such programs rarely result in significant reductions in traffic congestion or emissions. Two-car families merely exchange vehicles, and shoppers merely defer trips. Furthermore, a substantial number of vehicles such as emergency vehicles, taxis, delivery vans and trucks, construction vehicles, and vehicles used by professionals such as medical personnel are granted exemptions.

Pedestrian Malls/Streets

Automobile-restricted zones can sometimes refer to a complete closure of streets to vehicular traffic. Pedestrian malls can be grouped in three categories: those that eliminate all motor vehicle traffic (restricting deliveries to off-peak hours), those that allow some motor vehicle traffic at very low speeds, and those that close the street during certain times. Typical examples of the latter group include farmers markets and festival closings. Temporary pedestrian zones can be created inexpensively by blocking an existing street with signs or barriers. Creating permanent public space is more costly, ranging from $100,000 to several million. These zones prove most successful in places with a high volume of pedestrian traffic prior to the imposition of automobile restrictions.

The earliest pedestrian malls were created in the late 1960s and early 1970s to combat downtowns' loss of income to suburban malls. For the most part it was a losing battle for the cities. While New York City was garnering headlines for transforming parts of 34th Street into a pedestrian mall, other cities were reversing the process. But pedestrian traffic in New York equals that of most European cities, and high pedestrian volumes are consistent throughout the city. Kalamazoo, Michigan, turned Burdick Street into a pedestrian mall in 1959, inspiring 200 other cities to follow its example. Kalamazoo reintroduced cars to its downtown in 2000, and again other cities, such as Raleigh, North Carolina, followed its example. Four decades after first closing a section of downtown's K Street to automobile traffic, civic leaders in Sacramento, California, reopened a couple of blocks of the city's pedestrian mall as an experiment. Businesses instantly saw more retail traffic. The city decided to spend $2.7 million to reopen the area to cars in hope of repeating the success of the experiment.

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