Portland Carfree Day
...multi-modal, public-space-reclaiming fun

Ever wondered what it would be like to live, dance, and play in the middle of a bustling city street? That might sound intimidating, but now imagine that the bustle comes from other pedestrians and cyclists like yourself, roaming the streets free, and not a single automobile! That’s the spirit of Ciclovia, a weekly street opening festival in Bogotá, Colombia, where the public’s right-of-way is celebrated as a safe and very alive space in which to cycle, walk, dance, and sport.

“Shared living…civility…urbanism…”

And Portland, Oregon, is starting its own festival, Sunday Parkways.

After the inspiring success in Bogotá, Portland community members joined with the Portland Office of Transportation to plan our city’s first-ever Ciclovia-style road closure on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008. Sunday Parkways will be a day-long inclusion of everyone — people who walk, dance, ride bicycles — allowing all citizens to share life in the street. On June 22nd, a circular route of traffic-free streets in north Portland will link four parks — Arbor Lodge, Peninsula, Unthank, and Overlook — to create a 6-mile loop for pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, skaters, dancers, and aerobics and tai chi classes. Bring your stilts if you have them! While streets will be closed to automotive through traffic, a soft-closure will assure that neighboring residents have access to and from their homes.

So jump out of your car and come on down! Or if you’re already walking, biking, or on the bus, head on over to North Portland on Sunday June 22nd this summer for an opportunity to thrive in the open with your community. You can find out more about Sunday Parkways here.

Want to volunteer? Sunday Parkways is looking for people to help prepare for and organize the event, and also to help out on the day itself. Want to teach a tai chi or aerobics class, or anything else in the street? Get in touch about volunteering, here.

(Photo and caption from “Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia” by StreetFilms.org)

I had the opportunity to bicycle in Tel Aviv, Israel this October. My guidebook recommends bicycling there, since the city is flat and relatively compact. I enjoyed the warm sun (their nights are barely starting to cool down in October), and our Mediterranean beach destination, but I was soon homesick for Portland’s bicycle boulevards and (now controversial) bike lanes.

In Tel Aviv, the streets I saw are either very narrow and choked with parked cars, or extremely busy with no shoulder. We rode on the sidewalks, taking our chances with the pedestrians as well as the mopeds, which had also taken to the sidewalks. I noticed that everyone rode with their bike seat much lower than I had been taught was ergonomically efficient, and after a while I figured out why - one has to be ready to stop instantly, and often. It’s much easier to stop and start again without hopping off the seat every time. I also winced to notice many cyclists riding without lights at night.

On the positive side, it was wonderful to see many people out riding, and to meet some who are carfree. Both buying and maintaining a car are much more expensive than in the US, and older parts of Tel Aviv mix apartments with small shops, making it pedestrian friendly.

I learned that because of a religious injunction against driving on the Sabbath, many people travel by bicycle on Saturdays. Yom Kippur is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, and a de-facto Carfree Day in Israel - no one drives, and there is a tradition of bicycles taking over the streets.

World Carfree Day was much ballyhooed by the Chinese government, part of their campaign of reforms leading up to the Olympics. Authorities declared that no private cars at all would be allowed in any major cities on September 22, 2007, a claim that drew criticism and skepticism from around the world. But by all accounts when the day came around there was nearly no reduction in car traffic.
Cars have become extremely popular in China, which experienced a 25% increase in the number of private cars on the road last year. Meanwhile, air pollution from China is becoming a major contributor to smog and climate change in Oregon.

Photo by Ben Shaw