Should Mill Valley Have a Car-Free Streets Event?

In the weeks leading up to the last weekend, local officials worried that closing off part of Bolinas Road for a car-free community gathering would cause a traffic headache downtown.

To the delight of the more than 1,000 people who packed Bolinas Road from noon to 4 p.m. for the event, Carmageddon never materialized.

“I’m happy to report that during the road closure we did not have any traffic issues. The whole event ran smoothly and did not impact any of the side streets or major streets throughout downtown,” Fairfax Police Chief Chris Morin told Patch. “It was a safe and fun event.”

“It was just a good day,” he added.

Fairfax resident Renee Goddard, the Streets for People project coordinator, said she was thrilled with the event’s turnout, adding that her husband pointed out that if the event couldn’t be measured in dollars, it could be measured in smiles.

Goddard said many people were impressed there was so much happiness at the event, even though it was alcohol free. The Fairfax Council had after .

But, Goddard said, the event also brought lots of dollars to local businesses.

“The testimonials from businesses are really blowing me away,” she said, naming three local merchants who said they saw a huge increase in sales, including one who said the sales was similar to the volume experienced during the winter holidays.

Kathleen Carroll, owner of the at 55 Bolinas Ave., told Patch her sales doubled during Streets for People. “It was fantastic. It was really the first event in Fairfax that, rather than taking away business, has actually brought us more business and new business,” Carroll said.

The event , and hundreds of cities around the world now feature their own versions of car-free weekends, including San Francisco’s popular Sunday Streets. 

WOULD A SIMILAR EVENT WORK IN MILL VALLEY? WHY OR WHY NOT?

Tell us your thoughts in the Comments below. 

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