Are Streets Full of Traffic Good for Elderly People?

When Martin does get around to remotely substantive assertions, they’re focused on scaring people into opposing Open Streets - dramatic traffic jams! stranded elderly relatives! - rather than making a serious case that the logistics are unworkable.

First, while seniors are the most vulnerable to being killed by cars while crossing the street legally (see pg. 25) - and may have the most to gain from car-free streets - it is true that restricting vehicle access could cause a temporary inconvenience to the small minority of people who have no other choice but to use a car in city neighborhoods on Sunday mornings.

The idea that this is an insurmountable obstacle to hosting Open Streets, however, is ridiculous. It barely takes an engineer to devise a scheme in which people can walk freely while simultaneously making arrangements for the few people who truly need vehicle access to their homes.

Second, Dr. Martin’s claim that vehicular traffic would be "doubled or tripled" on adjacent streets is totally without justification.  Not even a transportation engineer could begin to prove or disprove that statement.

Without knowing the specific location, the time of week, the extent of traffic restriction, or other relevant factors, there’s just no way to make an accurate quantitative prediction, let alone generalize about it.