My OperaThe Party's Over. Or, Someone Almost Cried Wolf.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:36:55 PM
Tuesday morning at Ninth and M:
Pedestrian traffic moved freely up and down Ninth Street and across M Street until mid-afternoon. Then crossing at M Street was closed off, while Ninth Street was still open for pedestrians.
The eastern half block of the 900 M Street was cleared of cars in the morning. The western half wasn't. Tenth Street had cars parked as usual. The editor has no problem with that. And it seems to have worked out.
However, that wasn't what was promised at the big meeting. Business feared that they would simply have to close, and residents scrambled to park their cars, sometimes at unusual expense and trouble, in safe areas. Some business owners slept overnight on air matresses, fearing that they couldn't get back to their stores the next morning. The editor isn't complaining about how it was handled. Only that the neighborhood had to make serious, unnecessary preparations.
There is going to be another round in four years. The precedent established here will set the trust level in the authorities then.
And on Wednesday morning, a final look at the security zone:
and
Pedestrian traffic moved freely up and down Ninth Street and across M Street until mid-afternoon. Then crossing at M Street was closed off, while Ninth Street was still open for pedestrians.
The eastern half block of the 900 M Street was cleared of cars in the morning. The western half wasn't. Tenth Street had cars parked as usual. The editor has no problem with that. And it seems to have worked out.
However, that wasn't what was promised at the big meeting. Business feared that they would simply have to close, and residents scrambled to park their cars, sometimes at unusual expense and trouble, in safe areas. Some business owners slept overnight on air matresses, fearing that they couldn't get back to their stores the next morning. The editor isn't complaining about how it was handled. Only that the neighborhood had to make serious, unnecessary preparations.
There is going to be another round in four years. The precedent established here will set the trust level in the authorities then.
And on Wednesday morning, a final look at the security zone:
and
