Volunteers aim to unite Salinas with Zumba, cycling and car-free roads.

Imagine a street bereft of smoke-spewing cars and honking motorists, transformed instead into a hub for physical activity: jogging, bicycling, roller skating.

That’s the vision of Ciclovía, a project that aims to get Salinas residents back on the streets, bridge neighborhoods and promote peace.

Ciclovía, which roughly translates to “bike path,” started in Bogotá, Colombia, more than three decades ago, when the city’s streets were rampant with danger, says Natalie Oliver, a youth and volunteer coordinator for the Salinas event.

“Everyone was really scared to go out of their house,” she says. “No one was walking home.”

Bogotá officials decided to shut down traffic on some streets and open them temporarily to cyclists and pedestrians in hopes the community would rally. It was a huge success, turning into a weekly event that draws millions onto miles of car-free streets.

The violence and turbulence in Bogotá resonate with some Salinas volunteers, who have banded together to start Ciclovía here.

The event is planned to close down 1.6 miles of Alisal Street on Sept. 1, bridging Oldtown Salinas and East Salinas. In addition to allowing people to use the road for exercise, there are plans for a health fair, public resource booths and even Zumba and yoga stops along the path.

Salinas Ciclovía is spearheaded mostly by college and high school students who want to get the youth involved in the community.

Reyna Alcala, a recent Salinas High School grad and a Ciclovía project leader, hopes the event will give bored youth something to look forward to.

“Kids always complain there’s nothing to do. There’s just movies, and the mall, and bowling,” she says. “It would give them an opportunity to bond with their family, and not just be on the streets doing something bad.”

Another goal is to bring people together. “We need more unity in our city. It’s very separated geographically and demographically – especially the Oldtown area with East Salinas,” Oliver says. “Those are two major hubs in our city, but nobody crosses over the underpass.”

The Ciclovía model has been successfully reproduced in cities across the world, including Santa Cruz and San Francisco. But there may be roadblocks ahead for the Salinas team.

Another event, a June Criterium bike race that cut through Oldtown Salinas, shut down several streets and was met with frustration by business owners who didn’t find out about the event until two days before it happened.

Oliver says the Ciclovía team has taken care to inform all affected business owners and has gotten mostly positive feedback. Because the event’s purpose is to get people walking around town, organizers say it will help promote businesses along the path.

“If you’re riding around and exercising and want to get lunch, any of the businesses that are around and open on Sunday are there for the taking,” Oliver says. “And hopefully the community is hungry.”

The group is waiting to see if the city will officially sponsor the event, but it already has a thumbs-up from the Public Works Department, which handles transportation.

“It’s a great idea,” Public Works Director Gary Petersen says. “We’re committed to working with the bright, intelligent young people who are supporting this.”