To the editor:

Increasing the number of sidewalk restaurants on Massachusetts Street is a good start, but why not go a step further by creating a pedestrian mall, say between Eighth and 10th streets? A number of small towns both in the United States and abroad have done this with great success.

A pedestrian mall would solve the problem of overcrowding on sidewalks and attract more shoppers to downtown. Aside from the fact that parking always is at a premium on Massachusetts, just think how much more pleasant it would be for outdoor diners not to have to contend with automobile exhausts wafting over their meal, not to mention the constant noise of boom boxes in cars cruising up and down the street with total disregard of the city’s noise ordinance.

The city could implement a pedestrian mall on a trial basis, perhaps on weekends to start, before deciding to make it a permanent feature. It just might work!

Eva Edmands,

Lawrence