Street Closure Precedents
The most successful precedents for car-free streets have been in Central American countries where the climate is suitable for year round outdoor activities. Thousands of people come out each weekend in cities such as Bogotá, Columbia and Guadalajara, Mexico to enjoy miles of car-free roads for bicycling, rollerblading, running, and walking. Several North American cities have followed their southern neighbors’ examples by implementing their own programs. San Francisco has had particular success with the “Healthy Saturdays” program in which two miles of John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park is closed down on the weekends to vehicular traffic. Since the implementation of this program, the park’s usage has increased two-fold on the weekends; local businesses also reap the benefits from increased foot and “wheel” traffic. In Ottawa, Canada, the “Sunday Bikedays” program draws a crowd of 80,000 cyclists, joggers, skaters, and walkers during the summer weekends to enjoy over 40 miles of car-free streets. So large and small scale, these programs have been successful on many different levels. Many cities have managed to close down miles and miles of major traffic arteries; thus, Charlottesville, Virginia could certainly stand to close down less than a mile of Main Street for recreational use on Sundays.
Program |
Name |
Purpose Statement |
Time/ Hours |
Length |
Other |
San Francisco’s JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park |
“Healthy Saturdays” http://www.sfbike.org/?ggp |
“Car Free Space in Golden Gate Park” |
Saturdays AND Sundays |
About 2 miles |
Doubles Park Usage and Increases Attendance to the Museum and Local Merchants Without a Traffic Increase |
New York City, Central Park, Park Drive close to traffic |
http://www.centralparknyc.org/ |
Enables New Yorkers to escape hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy a healthier, cleaner and safer Central Park |
Weekdays from 10am-3pm and 7pm - 10pm, and from Friday night at 7pm until Monday morning at 6am, all year |
About 6 miles |
Popular place for rollerblading, jogging, biking and horseback riding |
Chicago, Illinois-closes down multiple streets |
"Sunday Parkways” http://www.healthystreets.org/ |
Healthier, more active life in and around the city with the participation of everyone regardless of social status, age or physical ability. |
Sundays 8:00 am-5:00 pm |
7 mile loop |
Connects several Latino and African American communities which have highest obesity rates in Chicago |
Bogotá, Columbia all main streets |
“Ciclovia” http://www.streetfilms.org/ |
“Take the Parks to the Streets” |
All Sundays and holidays 7:00am-2:00pm |
70+ miles |
Nearly 1 million people participate each week |
Guadalajara, Mexico |
“Via RecreActiva” http://www.biketraffic.org/ |
Combing family rides and cultural activities |
Sundays 8:00 am-2:00 pm |
|
About 500,000 participate; “Food vendors, yoga instructors, musicians, and preachers line the route, creating sort of a healthy version of Carnival” |
Ottawa, Canada |
“Sunday Bikedays” http://www.ottawakiosk.com/ |
“Hop on your bike, lace up your inline skates, and hit the parkways” |
Sundays May-September |
40+ miles |
80,000 people participate each day. Car-free recreation cycling on NCC pathways, with free bike checks and assistance from the City’s volunteer Pathway Patrol |
THE MAIN EVENT |