Just this week Seattle's Mayor, Greg Nickels, released the latest list of city streets that will be closed to vehicle traffic this summer.  The street closures are a continuation of the City's Car-Free Days from last year, however, this year the Mayor appears to have moved away from the over-reaching environmental promises that were used to promote last year's events.

Don't believe me?  Check out this week's press release from the Mayor where he declares that, "Biking, walking, drawing chalk pictures, taking in the sights or shopping and eating at local establishments, Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is a great way to spend time with family and friends."

Compare this with last year's announcement when the Mayor promised, "we'll be fighting global warming at the same time."

Last year I questioned whether the Mayor's promises that Car-Free Days would have an impact on global warming or help to reduce Seattleites dependence on cars.  In fact, after the conclusion of last year's events I followed up with the City to see what environmental benefit, if any, was gained.

To summarize the City's response to my inquiry, there was no measurable environmental benefit.  Why?  Because the City didn't even try to measure the impact of these events.  You can read the full report of the City's response in our September 2008 edition of Environmental Watch, Car-Free Days are Seattle's latest eco-fad, but are there any real benefits?

The Mayor's elimination of environmental promises to this year's Car-Free Days marks the second policy shift by the City on issues highlighted in our Washington's Five Worst Environmental Moments of 2008.  It appears we are making some progress.