Today, the dude and I headed out to Atlanta Street’s Alive, a semi-annual ciclovia organized by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.
From Wikipedia:
Ciclovía… is [a] term which translates from Spanish into English as “bike path” and now used worldwide to describe either a permanently designated bicycle route or a temporary event, the closing of the street to automobiles for use by others.
In this case, a two-mile stretch of N. Highland, a street known for its hipster/yuppie/urban (“yubster”?) culture , was temporary closed off to all motorized vehicles to allow for strictly human powered playtime.
And play, they did… Every few meters, there was something to do or to view. For example, a moon walk center for children!
Street performers…
And a place to mend your bike, courtesy of the Sopo Bicycle Cooperative.
The weather could not have been more ideal. Although it began to storm later in the evening, during the event itself (2pm-6pm), the balmy weather enticed thousands of pedestrians, skaters, and cyclists out of the wood-works.
From the event website, the organizers were shooting for 10,000 attendees, but they far surpassed this goal.
The event was both family-friendly…
…and pet-friendly.
Children were able to feel safe as they rode on the smooth street, as opposed to the bumpy sidewalk…
…while adults experienced the thrill of riding without a helmet, as the threat of an automobile accident was not looming. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one on a bright pink bicycle!
Although, as far as I am aware, this event is held only twice a year; however, given the great turnout, I hope that it can become a monthly, or even weekly occurrence. The small businesses certainly profited from the crowds; thus, I am sure that they, too, would both welcome and support this type of initiative.
