So what is it? Well, ciclovia is rather simple: cities that participate in the informal program shut down major streets and roads to vehicle traffic and instead open it up to bicyclists, pedestrians and all sorts of other non-motorized traffic during a given time period.
The trend started in Bogota, Colombia, some 30 years ago as a “way to promote walking and bicycling and to encourage the mingling of people from all backgrounds on the city’s streets.”
Now it’s becoming popular in the US. The Monitor says Portland Oregon, San Francisco, New York and other US cities are considering shutting down miles and miles of roads to vehicles and opening them up to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Organizers in these cities have attempted to keep the events from becoming just another place for vendors to hawk their goods, instead promoting the idea that empty streets become open spaces full of activities, fun, and even “dancing.”
Of course if you’ve read this blog for awhile, you know I got rid of my car and bike all over Santa Clarita. So I’m not exactly objective about this idea, but I think it could really work in Santa Clarita.
Consider that we already have some of these types of events every year. In the fall, there’s the sidewalk chalk festival in Newhall. In the spring, there’s a Blessed Mary Italian festival on Town Center Drive. And in the summer, part of Town Center drive is closed every Friday night for a concert put on, ironically, by Lexus of Valencia.
All those events attract lots of people, making them popular social occasions that, in my opinion, help Santa Clarita grow its own culture.
But what if we expanded on those ideas and did a weekly ciclovia in Santa Clarita? I envision shutting down McBean from Valencia to Magic Mountain parkway and Town Center Drive completely to vehicle traffic from Friday evening to Sunday morning, and opening up the entire road to pedestrians, cyclists, and others, just the way the city shut down McBean in that area during the Amgen race in 2007 and 2008.
Closing the road would invite cyclists and pedestrians to cruise down to Town Center Drive where they could listen to live music, dine at one of the restaurants (which increasingly have outdoor patio seating), perhaps shop at some of the stores or vendor booths (this is Santa Clarita after all, and vendor booths are ever-present) or just hang out and enjoy the scene.
Along with that would be a great chance for residents to socialize, entertain their kids in a fun and healthy way, and see how easy it is to bike or walk in the SCV.
I doubt businesses in the Town Center area would object much. There’s multiple ways to get into Valencia Town Center from Valencia Blvd, Magic Mountain Parkway, Citrus Drive and other areas. And they’d appreciate a crowd every week near their stores.
If it all sounds a bit vague, that’s deliberate. The Monitor article says cities that experiement with ciclovia never really know what to expect, but are usually surprised with the results. A San Francisco organizer of that city’s ciclovia says “A city street becomes an entirely different landscape when you take the cars away. It creates opportunities for people to come out and exercise, meet their neighbors, and learn to appreciate their city in a whole new way.”
So what do you think?