I thought of something else I believe is worth pointing out regarding the concept of congestion in Sebastopol.

Apparentely people have been complaining about traffic in Sebastopol ‘since before the 1950s.’ The downtown one-way couplet was originally proposed in 1958 as a way to alleviate the congestion. As mentioned in the previous post, it was finally implemented in 1985, in order to alleviate congestion. (This information was provided by a local resident who is opposed to restoring the 2-way circulation system.)

You know what? People are still complaining about traffic congestion.

If we restore the 2-way street system, people will complain about traffic congestion.

If we modify the existing 1-way system to go from 3 lanes to 2 lanes on Main Street, people will complain about traffic congestion.

If we add more bump-outs at corners and widen sidewalks, people will complain about traffic congestion.

And if we do absolutely nothing, people will complain about traffic congestion. It’s just what we like to do.

So yes, I don’t really care about traffic congestion. What is important to me is whether or not Main Street is a vibrant destination. That is what I want. Whether or not that increases, or decreases, congestion is besides the point. Our Main Street does not exist to alleviate traffic congestion. Our Main Street should be the center of commerce and the center of our community. Main Street is a place to connect with each other and support our local businesses. We should do everything we can to make it thrive. This is how we make a successful city.  As Strong Towns states, ‘a street is a safe place for people to spend time and build relationships: and a perfect place to put a wealth-generating home or business.’ The wealth generation is not only for the individual home or business, but also for the city. Our Main Street is the economic engine of our city. Main Street should be designed as a safe a vibrant place for people. If it is, it will be successful.