Should Greater Boston Have More Car-Free Zones?

The Commonwealth Avenue Bridge project continues to snarl traffic coming in and out of the city.

This morning, Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said overall traffic levels are down about 20 percent on the Pike, and he's optimistic about completing the project on time.

Despite the closures and detours, the project has created some unexpected havens. Biking over the BU Bridge has turned from a terror into a pleasure. Commonwealth is suddenly a pedestrian's delight.

And it made us wonder, what if we had these car-free zones in the city every day? What might those look like? And how might they transform both the city's landscape and our relationship with it?

Bryan Reimer, research scientist at MIT and associate director of the New England University Transportation Center. He tweets @bryan_reimer.

Randal O'Toole, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and author of "Gridlock: Why We’re Stuck in Traffic and What to Do About It." He tweets @antiplanner.

Vineet Gupta, director of policy and planning for the Boston Transportation Department. He tweets @vineetboston.