Starting in 2011, Minneapolis bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, and wheelchair users will take over miles of streets to have the opportunity to explore and enjoy their neighborhoods without motorized traffic. An Open Streets event (based on the Ciclovía from Bogotá, Colombia) will bring together families and neighbors to mingle, recreate, and shop in their communities in a safe, car-free environment.
Tell me more!
Open Streets take place on Sunday, typically from 10am – 2pm.
Open Streets are not races. Participants can begin/stop/restart/change direction at any time.
Open Streets are free!
In addition to biking, walking and skating, there are programmed recreational activities along the streets including yoga, dance lessons, aerobics, games, and even musical performances, bike repair and bike safety classes.
Open Streets promotes:
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Sustainable transportation choices, including walking, bicycling and transit. -
Public health, bringing healthy physical activity to communities in need. -
Local business, drawing foot traffic past the front doors. Feedback from merchants along the San Francisco Sunday Streets route indicated a significant increase in business, from 25% to up to 300% from usual Sunday business. -
Public space, helping residents see our streets as a places where we can all come together and take pride in our city.
Ciclovía events have been catching on in the United States. Cities that are following Bogotá’s lead include:
Fargo-Moorhead http://www.facebook.com/pages/Streets-Alive/263885966939?v=info
Portland, Oregon http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/
New York, New York http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/
San Francisco, California http://sundaystreetssf.com/
Chicago, Illinois http://www.activetrans.org/openstreets
Baltimore, Maryland http://baltimoresundaystreets.info/
Miami, Florida http://bikemiamiblog.wordpress.com/about/
Los Angeles, California http://www.ciclavia.org/
How can I get involved?
The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition has been coordinating with the City to secure a permit for a proposed route along Lyndale Avenue South for June 12th, and we now need assistance to document approval from adjacent businesses and residences. This will be a great way for new people to volunteer for the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, and to be a part of bringing the first ever Open Streets to Minneapolis! We need lots of volunteers, especially for the “door-knock outings.” I will have all of the necessary notification/documentation forms and detailed materials available on each date (see below); all people need to do is show up at the specified time! Depending on how many people show up, we will split up, pair off, and tackle a couple of blocks. It should be a lot of fun! Please RSVP to [email protected].
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2/19 (10am-1pm) – Deliver “Dear Neighbor” letters. This will count as “notification” of the neighbors along the route. Meet at CRC Coffee Bar (3346 Lyndale Avenue South) at 10am. -
2/26 (9am-12pm) – Door-knock outing. Collect as many approval signatures as possible. Meet at CRC Coffee Bar at 9am. -
3/3 (6pm-9pm) – Follow-up weekday door-knock outing. Fill in as many approval signature gaps as possible. Meet at CRC Coffee Bar at 6pm.
