#FlockToState as State Street Pedestrian Experiment officially begins

The City of Madison’s Pedestrian Mall Experiment is officially underway after a ceremony held Wednesday on State Street.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway was joined by Madison’s Central Business Improvement District Executive Director Matt Tramel and several City of Madison staff, committee, and commission members to mark the official “closing” of non-emergency traffic on the 400-600 blocks of State Street.

"This is an experiment in us figuring out how to close these blocks to vehicle traffic and open them up to people who are walking and biking and rolling outside of a motor vehicle,” Mayor Rhodes-Conway said at Wednesday’s ceremony. “We are super excited to have this opportunity.”

In addition to the artwork added to State Street over the last couple weeks, Madison’s Central Business Improvement District will be working on a summer’s worth of fun activities and entertainment for people of all ages. The busy summer on the Pedestrian Mall begins Thursday night with the Madison Night Market.

"We’re going to have some fun with it, and we can’t wait to see the community come together on Madison’s iconic State Street,” Tramel said. “We really want to create a unique and engaging experience for the pedestrians on State Street. We want to encourage people who don't often come downtown to come back downtown again and again.”

Some of the events planned for the summer include “Kids on State,” a series of family-friendly activities and events to promote play and creativity; “Wellness Wednesdays,” a series of wellness-centric activities and programming to support healthy minds and bodies; and “Yip-py” Hours, a series of pet-friendly social and adoption events.

From now until October, traffic will be closed from 3 p.m. until 4 a.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. until 4 a.m. on weekends and holidays, allowing pedestrians and bikers to enjoy that stretch of State Street without having to dodge traffic from delivery trucks and other vehicles.

The City of Madison’s Planning Division worked with business owners on the 400-600 blocks of State Street to find the right times for the Pedestrian Mall to be open while still giving those businesses access to their needed deliveries. Many of the buildings on State Street do not have alleys or back door access for deliveries, meaning their only option to restock supplies is through the front door.

"We have to acknowledge that one of the major draws to State Street is not the street – it's what’s on the side. It’s the businesses that bring people here, those are really the lifeblood of State Street,” City of Madison Planner Dan McAuliffe said during Wednesday’s event.

The planters and benches added along the area of the Pedestrian Mall had to be positioned to still preserve a fire lane down the middle of State Street in case of emergencies.

The City will be collecting feedback from local business owners, residents, and those who use the Pedestrian Mall this summer to see what worked well during the experiment and what would need improvement if the Pedestrian Mall were to return in future summers. Anyone can use the QR codes on the new planters placed alongside new benches along the Pedestrian Mall area or go to www.flocktostate.com to share their feedback online.

“That’s what an experiment is about,” Mayor Rhodes-Conway said. “It’s about us collecting data and innovating and improvising and getting better.”

You can learn more about the planning process that led up to this summer's experiment on the Planning Division's website.