Ciclovia, that wonderful concept we've shared about before (Ciclovia en Bogota, March 19, 2008; Could Bogota's Example Lead to Ciclovia: Metro Washington, D.C.?, December 8, 2007; Another Car-Free Idea From Mexico City, August 2, 2007), where local governments close down the streets to cars and open them up to bikes and pedestrians, has just had a very successful debut in North America. Guess where? Portland, Oregon of course. Monday's front page story in the Oregonian says it all (For Six Hours on Sunday, Cars are Banned on Six Miles of North Portland's Streets, Leaving Them to Walkers, Cyclists, Joggers and In-line Skates, by Dylan Rivera, June 23, 2008).
We learned from our own Diane Stanton Kean (No Car Zone...In NYC?!, June 19, 2008) last week that New York City is doing something similar later this summer (Where the Streets Have No Cars, June 18, 2008, Wall Street Journal) and San Francisco is also planning to do the same (Proposal Would Turn Streets into Recreational Spaces, May 12, 2008, Examiner). Shouldn't our area do the same?
Ciclovia seems like something that could bring our region together and encourage people to try biking and walking more. We need to become a world-wide leader in options to driving alone. This kind of program could build upon the good walk and bike facilities we have and lead to even more good things. Is 2009 to early for our first Ciclovia?
Thanks to CarFreeUSA blog for the tip.
Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.
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