MADISON, Wis. — As the discussion on how to improve safety along Brady Street continues, the option to transform part of the street to pedestrian-only is still on the table.
TMJ4 News traveled to Madison's State Street, an area that has a thriving pedestrian mall, to see if there are lessons to be learned.
The 700 and 800 blocks of State Street in Madison already operate as a pedestrian mall — it's been that way for decades. And now, the car-free area could be expanding.
"It gets a little dangerous sometimes if there's cars and stuff coming by," said Nicole Lawrence, who travels along State Street when she walks to class. "I think it'd be a great idea."
Downtown Madison, Inc. compiled a report on pedestrian malls a few years ago. It found successful malls are in densely populated areas with people who already use the space as pedestrians.
"A pedestrian mall itself won't generate necessarily more (foot) traffic on its own but if the traffic is already there on these major streets, it will improve that traffic," explained Jason Ilstrup, the president of Downtown Madison, Inc.
And geographically, size is a factor. "Somewhere between two and four blocks is the sweet spot in a size," added Ilstrup.
Milwaukee's Brady Street checks the box on both population and proposed size. "Brady Street could be a successful pedestrian mall — it seems to me to fit many of those tenants," said Ilstrup. "I will say though, you have to do everything you can to create programming and create vibrancy and animate the space, you can't just 'build it and they will come'".
In Madison, the 600 to 400 blocks of State Street will be closed down for a pedestrian mall test sometime in 2024. Brady Street could choose to do something similar, but nothing is set in stone yet.
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