Are you familiar with the term, "ciclovía"?

Wikipedia says,  "Ciclovía is term which translates from Spanish into English as "bike path" and now used worldwide to describe either a permanently designated bicycle route or a temporary event, the closing of the street to automobiles for use by others."

There are ciclovía events all over the world, including San Francisco, Chicago, Quito and Bogota, that close a main road off to car traffic, allowing cyclists to rule the streets.  In some places like Chicago, the event is annual, and in others like Bogota, the event is weekly!

Those of you that know me have no doubt heard me talk about my dream of biking on the freeways and high speed thoroughfares of the Cities without having to share the asphalt with motorized vehicles...

Lyndale isn't I-94, but I am getting closer to my goal:

Open Streets: Ciclovía Minneapolis

Sunday, June 12th, 2011, 10am - 2pm
Lyndale Ave S between 22nd St and 42nd St

By opening up the streets for people to walk, bike, run and skate for a day, we get an opportunity to experience our city in a whole new way.

In the past the street was the hub of the community—it was a place to shop, mingle, gossip, and play. Open Streets gives this back while promoting healthy activity and sustainable transportation. This is a great opportunity for everyone young and old to be active while engaging with neighbors and local businesses.

So bring your friends, your kids, your parents, your pets and take to the streets.

Be active. Be social. It’s time to social-cise

I will for sure be there with my bicycle.  You should plan on coming too!

Whose streets?  Our streets!  Open Streets!!