It isn't necessary to close these places to traffic 24 hours a day, though. The point is to strike a better balance in how we're sharing streets at different times, rather than insisting they be 100 percent car-dominated or 100 percent pedestrianized. The city could introduce some pedestrian-only hours each week on certain corridors, during which cars aren't allowed in. We can have outdoor dining and easy pedestrian access if elected officials could just summon the political will to prioritize more of our shared public space for humans during the most crowded hours.