About Hyannis Open Streets...Mission: To temporarily close Main Street, Hyannis to automobile traffic from Ocean Street to Sea Street, so that people may use it for walking, biking, dancing, playing, and socializing. In doing so, we hope to achieve social, environmental, economic, and public health goals and increase awareness of what our historic downtown has to offer its residents and visitors.
Goals: Allow participants of all ages and backgrounds to experience Main Street in a new way-as a shared, safe, social and active space for the people in our community and visitors alike; Create a space for people of diverse backgrounds to interact and build social capital, as well as a sense of community and safety: Introduce people to alternative means of
transportation and raise acceptance of walking and bicycling as ways of getting around, therefore decreasing the need for parking and improving long term health of Hyannis and Barnstable residents; Increase neighborhood awareness of Hyannis and its livability.
From the Open Streets website:
Open streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobile traffic, so that people may use them for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing, and socializing.
With more than 100 documented initiatives in North America, open streets are increasingly common in cities seeking innovative ways to achieve environmental, social, economic, and public health goals.