Plan calls for Sunday morning shutdown of Storrow drive to cars

BOSTON  -- A new proposal calls for kicking the cars off a five-mile stretch of Storrow Drive in Boston on Sunday mornings.

The plan by the Charles River Conservancy would open the road for bicycling, walking, in-line skating and other recreational uses.

The closure would affect the outbound side between April and November from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., when traffic is light.

A similar closure is already in place later on Sundays on a shorter stretch of Memorial Drive, on the other side of the Charles River.

Conservancy president Renata von Tscharner said the plan would give residents a large area for vigorous exercise at a time when obesity is a major national concern.

The plan must be approved by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)