Nothing screams history and sets an historic area apart more than one way signs and parking restriction signs on historically appropriate, though electric, street light posts in the Whaling Museum National Park in New Bedford where cobble stone streets and the fronts of restored historic buildings are lined with parking meters so that at any time of day or night a beautiful picture of a beautiful area cannot be taken without a car in it and any aura of history is shattered by the presence of the traffic signage.

When the cancelled Netflix mini-series was filmed in the National Park, to bring the street back to the 1930s, the parking meters and signage were removed. If it takes that to bring the area to the 30s, obviously these things are detrimental to the history of that area going back to when the Mariners’ Home was first a mansion. For the few days after the filming ended, the streets in the National Park had their historic aspect restored.

And then was lost again.

I am, therefore, proposing this to the city.

Between the hours of 9:00 am on day and 1:00 am the next, the area between Front Street on the East and Acushnet on the West, and Union on the South and Elm on the North will be closed to vehicular traffic. Pedestrian only.

Deliveries to stores and restaurants should be made between 11:00 pm and 9:00 am with exceptions made when this time is impossible for them, but not routine.

Pedestrians are free to wander the whole area without fear of automobiles, and stores and restaurants can use street side space outside their establishments to create the old mercantile look and allow for street side eating.

The streets in that area will be more welcoming and this will add to future waterfront plans.

Community and history related events will no longer have to contend with traffic, giving more space for and variety of what can be scheduled.

This will eliminate the need for meters as no one will be parking there during the time the city’s meters are live and all the traffic signage can be removed as there will be no traffic that would call for it.

There is parking at the Elm Street garage and there will be more if the plans to redo the State Pier are realized. The only parking allowed in the National Park area should be those businesses already present that already have parking lots, but these must be approached directly from the closest non-park entrance without wandering around sight seeing.

Setting the area aside in this way could encourage a whole new approach to the area and increase foot traffic.

Boston has done this with Down Town Crossing for decades so limited traffic and parking is not a fantasy.

When areas are set aside and their little bubble becomes obvious, use adapts and the area takes on a new life that traffic has been preventing.

Certainly, the loss of income from the removal of parking meters in the National Park will not be that much of a drain on the city’s funds but the foot traffic that sees the district as welcoming will increase as will the money from the increased business.

This will also be a good move as it will eliminate the problem of joining the old, presently existing campus of the Whaling Museum with its new property across William Street which at the present time requires proposed designs have to accommodate vehicular traffic and would have to incorporate its existence into any design to get people from one side of the street to the other while keeping the two segments of the future campus a unified whole not two parts possibly  joined by an elevated walkway that cuts across the façade of the icon at the end of William, the white pillars of the bank.

Throwing this out there in case it has a chance.

If it is already being considered or even being worked on, let the public know.

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