The case for slower streets

Three city reports landed this week with the same finding in different words: when a street slows down, the shops on it do better. One counted a 14% rise in foot traffic on its calmed blocks.

What the reports don't say is who paid for the change. I spent Tuesday with Rui, who runs the bakery on Anjos Street, and his answer was not the one I expected.

“He lost a parking space and gained a bench.”

For the first two months, takings were down. Then the regulars started staying for a second coffee, and the bench became the most photographed thing on the street.

Who actually pays

The city paid for the paint and the planters. Rui paid for everything else: two quiet months, a new sign and the bench itself. He says he would do it again. Most of his neighbors agree.

That's the part the reports leave out. A slower street is a good trade, but the first months land on the people with the least room to absorb them: the bakery, the key cutter, the café with four tables.

So here's a small suggestion for the next calmed block. Pay the shops for the quiet months, not just for the planters. It would cost less than the paint, and it would turn the Ruis of this city into the scheme's best advocates.

Until Sunday,
Sam