What’s your favorite way to get around? Without use of an engine, that is. Sara Rubin here, thinking about the various modes of transportation—bicycling, scooter-ing, skateboarding, roller skating, walking—that you might use on Sunday, Oct. 15, during Ciclovía Salinas.
This tenth annual iteration of Ciclovía in Salinas comes from a much longer tradition that began in 1974 in Bogotá, Colombia. The Spanish term translates to mean “bike path.”
The idea is simple: Cut off vehicular access to certain roads for a period of time, and leave the street open to all who are using other modes of transport. It creates a safer setting (no parked cars, no moving traffic) for recreation and for travel. Parts of Bogotá—and other cities around the world—now do something similar on the regular, taking streets over for pedestrians and non-motorized travelers for a few hours every weekend, for example. And in Salinas, a 1.6-mile stretch of Alisal Street does so for a few hours once a year.
Ciclovía Salinas takes place from 10am-2pm this Sunday on Alisal Street from Main Street to Sanborn Road. It might be just four hours, but it represents something much grander. For one, it’s a way of showing participants what a healthier modality of travel can look like. All that pavement is a nice, flat path that usually gives priority to cars.
It’s also a way of connecting two neighborhoods. The eastern (Sanborn) and western (Main) ends of this route are two thoroughfares, only a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute bike ride apart. But they can feel a world away. This simple act of limiting traffic creates a sense of connectivity.
It’s free to attend, and there’s no need to traverse the entire route. Stop in at any point along this stretch to be outside in the sun, meet neighbors, stretch your legs and learn something. Expect lots of information about environmental sustainability and healthy lifestyles, converging here with community building. There are raffles, dancing and music.
And perhaps most importantly, the whole event is planned and run by Salinas youth. They are in charge of Ciclovía, and they make sure everyone can get in on a little slice of the car-free, community-uniting dream for one Sunday a year.
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