Corvallis and Salem (Compare!)

I just spent a day in Corvallis. The downtown there is vital alive and bustling with people. The times that I've visited Salem I've found it to be the same. Happy people, able to park in one spot, and walk to many shops and restaurants. A nice mix of local business, national chains, as well as offices. We have areas near our downtown that function the same way. Look at the 5th St. Market, and Oakway mall, and Southtown Shops. The difference? Easy access for automobiles, and lots of on street parking. People drive there, park, and spend hours.

I'm tired of streets that have been narrowed with planters, benches, unnecessary trees, and silly artwork. As long as we treat the downtown like it's a park, rather than a place to do business, it will never attract anything that's stable and useful, and will remain stagnant.

Now we even have a free bus service to transport the street people, back and forth, between downtown Eugene and Springfield.