Ciclovia - Sunday Parkways - Open Streets come to Missouri this summer!

Cliff Drive Car Free Weekends sign

Ciclovia--the street festival where cities close down miles of streets and residents come out to enjoy walking, bicycling, scootering, skating, and all other manner of fun physical activity--is coming to Missouri in a big way this summer.

Kansas City's Car Free Weekends on Cliff Drive are entering their third year and have been a very successful program.  By removing cars from the drive on weekends, more citizens are able to enjoy bicycling and walking and crime has been reduced significantly.

Now Kansas City is expanded on this successful program by creating the city's first full-blown Sunday Parkways festival:

Kansas City, Missouri's first Ciclovia-type festival will take place on Sunday, May 16 in conjunction with Car Free Weekends on Cliff Drive. In addition to non-motorized activities, the inaugural Sunday Parkways event will feature culturally diverse entertainment ranging from bands and dancers, to yoga classes and face painting, chalk art to juggling and other outdoor-friendly activities. The festival, scheduled for 12:00-4:00pm, will also serve as the kickoff for Kansas City's annual Bike Week.

Meanwhile, St Louis has an even more ambitious schedule of Open Streets festivals this summer:

The City of St. Louis and our partners are proud to present Open Streets 2010. For a few weekend days this year, the City will temporarily open approximately six (6) miles of City streets to cyclists, skaters, pedestrians, joggers, residents, and tourists. Unimpeded by automobile traffic, people can enjoy recreational activities, visit other neighborhoods, rediscover the City and experience the Great Rivers Greenway’s bike routes.

MoBikeFed's Vision is to bring Ciclovia festivals to cities around Missouri.  With your help, we are realizing that vision--with no Ciclovia festivals in Missouri in 2007, one in 2008, and now seven planned for 2010.

The concept can work in large cities or small.  Find out how to plan a ciclovia festival in your city or see how Portland does it.