Solvang makes Copenhagen Drive pedestrian friendly

SOLVANG, Calif. -- Solvang’s downtown is now closed to vehicles. The city is opening Copenhagen Drive to just pedestrians as a way to get more people out walking and shopping.

The owner of Esko Esko said, “I hope it will work. I hope it will bring some crowds and more safe shopping atmosphere.”

Poles now block vehicle traffic on Solvang’s Copenhagen Drive to encourage more people to walk downtown.

Solvang City Councilmember, Chris Djernae, said, “This particular event is an attempt to restart the local economy as we start to gradually ramp up and move away from COVID.”

The plan is to allow restaurants to pull tables onto the sidewalk and hang lights across the street. The city will see how it goes after this weekend and if it works this will continue until California lifts physical distancing restrictions.

Ben Olson is the owner of Red Viking Restaurant. He's eager to see the street lit up. “Lights all over Copenhagen Drive here and it looks very festive," said Olson. "As a matter of fact it kind of looks like the amusement park in Denmark that’s call Tivoli."

A concern some business owners have is the lost parking due to the street closure and parklets.

“There’s plenty of parking, not just in the city parking lots," said Djernae, "but in the adjacent and in areas in the neighborhoods.”

Locals are looking forward to seeing the street lit up and enjoying restaurants outside.

Ryleigh Thomas and Auden Wyle are regulars in downtown Solvang. Both are excited to see the changed. “It’ll be cool," said Thomas, "because it will kind of be more of like a festival kind of situation where you can just go walk around and see everything at once.”

Wyle added “Outside [restaurants], I prefer outside tables, so I think that’s going to be kind of cool.”

Businesses that aren't on Copenhagen Drive are using signs to point potential shoppers to them.