D.C. Council members Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and District Office of Planning director Harriet Tregoning met with reporters this afternoon at a miniature street festival designed to highlight today’s Car Free Day event. F Street NW between 9th and 8th will continue to be closed to motor vehicle traffic until about 3 p.m. while vendors meet with residents to promote various businesses that can help D.C. residents live in the city without a car.

Not too many people were on hand for the festivities, which includes live music, yoga demonstrations and booths from vendors like Zipcar. But the low turnout didn’t stop Wells and Cheh from exuding optimism about the future of Washington as a place where suburbanites will want to move in order to ditch their cars. Wells said that the growing annual event (about 1,000 people signed up to participate last year, versus roughly 5,200 this year) is really intended to promote car-free, urban living in the District.

“You have to get people to break patterns, break habits,” Wells said.