Pittsburgh’s Open Streets closed down bridges and streets to vehicular traffic in Downtown’s Market Square, the North Side and West End as thousands of people explored the city in new and unexpected ways Sunday.
The event, in its third year and run by Bike Pittsburgh, temporarily transformed busy areas of the city into open spaces for a wide array of activities.
Market Square hosted yoga and Zumba classes led by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Fittsburgh and the YMCA. The North Side had a Canine Carnival run by the Humane Animal Rescue. The West End Bridge hosted Bhangra performances — a style of dance native to the Punjab state of India — by Carnegie Mellon University students.
The main attraction was a 3-mile route — for walking, biking and skating — that started at Market Square and ended in the West End. Most chose to bike the route, which shut down the Roberto Clemente and West End bridges from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Donna Alexander of Wilkinsburg only picked up cycling three years ago and is now part of the Major Taylor Cycling Club. This was her second time participating in the event.
“It’s a wonderful way to keep in shape, and you can do it at any age,” she said. “I would recommend it to anyone.”
She joked that cycling is her last claim to the fountain of youth.
Gene Slevinski, 71, of Highland Park has been inline skating for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Three Rivers Inline Skating Club and has participated in three Open Streets. He believes the event is about the people and the city.
“This event isn’t just about bikes or skates,” he said. “It’s about the people knowing their city, and seeing what it has to offer.”
Mike Carroll, director of events for Bike Pittsburgh and Open Streets, explained that the event is part of an international movement — Ciclovia. The movement started with cyclists in Bogota, Colombia, closing down streets so cyclists and pedestrians could enjoy the streets freely in 1974.
The movement has grown since then and now has over 100 cities across the world hosting their own Open Streets. Last year, USA Today named Pittsburgh’s Open Streets as one of the top 10 programs in the nation, despite this being just its third year.
Mr. Carroll echoed Mr. Slevinski’s sentiments and said the fitness angle is just a small part of the larger event.
“People don’t really experience the city on a normal day-to-day,” Mr. Carroll said. “They’re always running through the city. We wanted to create a safe space, where people could slow down and explore the city in a new and fun way.”
He also believes the event is a great way to build community ties.
“People here are coming from all different neighborhoods, and that’s great,” he said. “People that don’t usually interact with one another are doing that here.”
Mr. Carroll plans to continue expanding the program to offer more routes and more space. Another part of the program will take place July 30 in Downtown.
Roads that were closed in Downtown included Sixth and Market streets. In the North Side, Commons Street and Western and Ridge avenues were closed. Parts of Steuben Street and Carson Street were closed in the West End.
More information about Open Streets is available here.
NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the name of Humane Animal Rescue.
Arturo Pineda: apineda@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1448.
First Published: June 25, 2017, 7:14 p.m.
Updated: June 25, 2017, 9:17 p.m.
