Portland Bans Cars

Sunday, June 22nd!

Well, just on a 6 mile loop of random side streets, and just for a half day, but the sentiment is encouraging.

The model comes from a weekly event in Bogota, Colombia called Ciclovia, which seems highly integrated into people's routines and expectations. The (apparently one-time?) Portland version carries the not-quite-so-catchy monicker of "Sunday Parkways". There is more info about events and the map on the City's Dept. of Transportation website. Hopefully this is just a test run for something permanent.

Portland gets a lot of press for being bike friendly, and it seems to be part of our overall marketing plan (a healthy, green and active city), but taking steps towards real changes in the way our streets are used on a regular basis would really put our money where our mouth is.

Another encouraging piece of news is that Portland is hosting this year's Towards Car Free Cities Conference (June 16-20). The Sunday Parkways event is seen as a wrap up the conference with actual implementation.

So, hope to see you all there!