Ciclovía

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ciclovía (also ciclovia, English pronunciation: /ˌsiː klɵ ˈviː ə/, Spanish pronunciation: [ˌsi klo ˈβi a]) is a Spanish term, meaning "bike path," used in Latin America to mean either a permanent designated bicycle route or a temporary event closing of the street to automobiles to allow dominance by other users. Permanent designated bicycle lanes are also known as ciclo-rutas, while streets temporarily closed for that purpose are always called ciclovías.

Contents 1 Origins in Colombia 2 Ciclovía in other countries 2.1 United States 2.2 Canada 2.3 Australia 2.4 Ecuador 2.5 Mexico 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] Origins in Colombia

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

Colombia has the biggest events. Every Sunday and holiday the main streets of Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and other municipalities, are blocked off for the event to become Carfree. From 7 am to 2 pm, runners, skaters and bicyclists take over the streets. At the same time, stages are set up in city parks. Aerobics instructors, yoga teachers and musicians lead people through various performances. The largest is Bogotá with 2 million people attending (30% of citizens) on over 120km of carfree streets.

One of the main reasons cited by government is to promote physical activity and health. There are other obvious social and cultural benefits from using the public space as an open meeting area. There are also environmental benefits in terms of cleaner air and increased safety.

Ciclovías happen in many cities but the inspiration is credited to Bogotá. The events have taken place since 1976 when they started through the efforts of organizer Jaime Ortiz and others. Some credit Bogotá Mayor Hernando Duran Dusan with starting Ciclovías in the early 1980s. Mayor Enrique Peñalosa deserves some credit for turning Bogotá into a safe cycling city by taking on the dominance of automobiles in the late 1990s.

In 2007, a Colombian congressman, Rep. José Fernando Castro Caycedo, proposed a law restricting the hours of Ciclovias all over the country to between 5 a.m. and 12 noon, charging that it caused traffic jams. Ciclovia users protested the change, and received support from ex-mayor Peñalosa and current mayor Samuel Moreno, as well as several members of the city council and other congressmembers. As of June, 2008 the proposal appeared headed for defeat.

While he was speaking during the congressional public hearing on the issue, Rep. Castro, a heavy smoker, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, collapsed, and died later that day. ^[1]

[edit] Ciclovía in other countries

[edit] United States

Wayne County, Michigan has held ciclovias on the Edward N. Hines Parkway since 1983. Called "Saturday in the Park," six miles of the parkway are closed to motorized vehicles between Outer Drive Road and Ann Arbor Trail. These events are held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on every Saturday from May through September.^[2] Edward N. Hines was Chief Consul of the League of American Wheelmen Michigan Division during the early 1890s.

Cleveland, Ohio hosted two ciclovia-type events in August 2006 which were attended by approximately 10,000 people. The event was spearheaded by two individuals, Lois Moss and Julia Sutter, and was funded by a grant from The Cleveland Foundation's Civic Innovation Lab. In 2007, Walk+Roll Cleveland coordinated five community street-closing events and in 2008 the Walk+Roll program expanded to Lakewood, Ohio. For 2009, Walk+Roll is being held in two additional Cleveland neighborhoods. The events have been held on Saturdays and on Sundays and are generally in the mid-day rather than very early mornings. Additionally, the Walk+Roll organization has been helping communities all across the U.S. by providing guidance, information and consulting services on how to bring ciclovias to new locations. More information including videos, photos and contact information for Walk+Roll Cleveland can be found at www.walkroll.com.

El Paso, Texas ran a ciclovía each Sunday in May 2007.^[3] The program has since been renamed Scenic Sundays (the events occur on Scenic Drive) and runs April through August.^[4]

Las Cruces, New Mexico started holding ciclovîas on the last Sunday of each month, starting in March 2008. They were held at the city's Meerscheidt Recreation Center in 2008,^[5] and in 2009 moved to Young Park.^[6] Activities include biking, walking, dance, Wii, Bungee Run, aerobics, and weight training.^[7] The Las Cruces ciclovías are put on by a partnership of the New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico State University's Southern Area Health Education Center, the Cooperative Extension Service from NMSU's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, the City of Las Cruces, Southern New Mexico Diabetes Outreach, and the Doña Ana County Diabetes Action Coalition.^[8][9]

Chicago is planning a ciclovia for two Sundays in October, 2008.^[10]

Portland, Oregon has run several ciclovia, called "Sunday Parkways", having undertaken their first one on June 22, 2008 and three more scheduled for 2009. ^[11].

New York City ran a ciclovia for three August Saturdays each in 2008 and 2009, turning almost seven miles of road from 96th st to the Brooklyn Bridge into a car-free route from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.^[12]

Miami, Florida held its first ciclovia, called Bike Miami, on Sunday, November 9, 2008, as part of the City of Miami's Bicycle Action Plan. The event was created and hosted by the City's Mayor, Manny Diaz, who decided to make it a monthly event. On March 14th, 2009, the City of Miami became the first US city to host 5 cyclovias. The monthly event, called Bike Miami Days, is supposed to promote livable streets and community as well as cycling and walking.

Clearwater, Florida hosted Sunday Ciclovía on March 1, 2009, and again on April 26, 2009, after the first event was cancelled due to severe weather. The event was initiated by the city's East Gateway District in downtown to encourage social interaction and community building among diverse population groups. Sunday Ciclovía hours were 8am to 2pm and the route was 2 miles in length.

San Francisco, California hosted its first Ciclovia-styled events in 2008. Called "Sunday Streets" the events take place in different areas of the city. See http://sundaystreetssf.com.

Roanoke, Virginia held its first Ciclovia on Saturday, August 1st, 2009. The event closed down streets around the central market area of Downtown Roanoke, including sections of the main thoroughfare, Jefferson St.^[13]

The Roland Park neighborhood hosted Baltimore's first ciclovia, or "Sunday Streets" event on October 25, 2009. This modest event closed down south-bound Roland Avenue over a 2km stretch.^[14]

[edit] Canada

Winnipeg was the first city in Canada to hold an official Ciclovia, on Sunday, September 13, 2009. The event saw thousands of people crowd Broadway on bikes, skateboards and on foot. The event was such a success that organizers, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, hope to make it an annual event. ^[15]

[edit] Australia

In Australia, the city of Melbourne has held two Ciclovia events (called Cyclovia), on 28 May 2006, and on 13 April, 2008. During these events, a 4 kilometre (2.5 mile) section of the busy arterial Sydney Road was pronounced car-free for a period of 6 hours. Bicycles and pedestrians filled the road, and the city's trams also flowed as normal.^[16]

[edit] Ecuador

Quito, Ecuador has a Ciclovia which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., every Sunday during the summer and every other Sunday the rest of the year.

[edit] Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico has several circuits.

Te most important runs 59 kilometers from Polanco to Fierro del Toro .

[edit] See also

• Segregated cycle facilities
• Bogota's Bike Paths Network
• Carfree Cities
• Car Free Days
• Reclaim the Streets
• Car-free movement
• Sustainable transportation
• Critical Mass
• List of carfree areas
• World Carfree Network

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Carbusters Magazine Issue #27 June-August 2006, page 11

[edit] External links

• Street Films - Ciclovia
• A Blog in Defense of Colombia's Ciclovias
• El Paso hosts first U.S. Ciclovia!
• Quito, Ecuador Ciclovia
• Mexico City, Ciclovia
• Bike Rental and Tour Service in Bogotá