Photo by bensconsin

One of the values of Eastern Market is that it’s car-free — the stretch of 7th Street in front of the historic north and south halls is closed off to vehicles on the weekend, when most visitors descend upon the market.

According to the Georgetown Dish, a similar idea was floated this week for a section of Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. If it ever came to pass, a segment of Wisconsin Avenue — no stranger to accidents involving pedestrians and cars — would be closed off to cars on Sundays, creating a pedestrian thoroughfare in what is usually a traffic-heavy neighborhood.

The idea garnered some support:

Businesses from both ends of Wisconsin Avenue liked it. “I’m for it,” said Susan Calloway, a gallery owner in the 1600 block of Wisconsin just below Reservoir Road. “I might open on Sundays.” And from the other end of Wisconsin at M Street, Rodrigo Garcia of Serendipity said: “It’s a great idea; it would bring families and the business community together. I’m for it 110 %.” Added Linda Greenan of Georgetown University, “I love it.”

The Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners were upbeat. “It’s great,” said Commissioner Ed Solomon. He was joined by Commissioners Jeff Jones and Bill Starrels “I’d love to see the positive energy from doing it, maybe the first Sunday of every month [as long as you do] a cost/benefit analysis” suggested Jones. “I’m always open to new ideas,” Starrels said. “Maybe a couple of times a year, like a taste of Georgetown or as a showcase for small business.”

Of course, Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) noted that Wisconsin Avenue is an important north-south arterial, and shutting it down even for a single day a week would require extensive discussions and planning. (For starters: what are the numerous buses which run down the Avenue going to do?) One ANC commissioner additionally noted that any traffic that couldn’t make it down Wisconsin Avenue would simply detour into Georgetown neighborhoods, where they’d likely be less welcome.

The idea of pedestrian malls certainly isn’t new, and it hasn’t been limited to Wisconsin Avenue. Some have floated a proposal to make 18th Street between Columbia Road and Florida Avenue NW pedestrian-only, and the existing service lane along Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park has also been targeted. Comparably speaking, those would be small-time projects compared to Wisconsin Avenue, which accommodates far more weekend traffic.