Released Aug. 1, 2009

Contact:
Margo O’Hara
312-282-5088
margo@activetrans.org
photos available
Informacion disponible en Espanol

Open Streets Brings Tens of Thousands out to Play in Their Neighborhood

Tens of thousands of people replaced car traffic with physical activity today on 8 miles of Chicago streets for Open Streets, an event that encourages fun physical activity in Chicago neighborhoods.

Residents rode bikes, walked and ran along the route, which passed through the Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Little Village neighborhoods.

“In a community with high rates of crime, obesity and asthma, Open Streets offers a safe space that promotes active living while decreasing air pollution produced by motorized vehicles,” said Juana Ballesteros, director of the Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness. “Open Streets contributes to our community's well-being."

Activities stations lined the route and showcased the flavor of each neighborhood. Residents stopped for a wide variety of activities and performances, including yoga, Gospel choir, salsa dancing, basketball and children’s games.

“This event is a trailblazer,” said Rob Sadowsky, Active Transportation Alliance director. “We demonstrated that when you combine the power of neighborhood-based organizations, with committed and engaged city agencies, along with hundreds of volunteers, we can truly transform our streets and our parks.”

Open Streets combined last year’s two Sunday Parkways events, which brought out 10,000 people over two October Sundays.

Open Streets is modeled after similar events in other cities, including Bogota, Colombia, where 70 km of streets are open to people every Sunday. These ciclovia events are popping up in U.S. cities, including New York City, Portland, Ore., San Francisco and Miami.

Major funding for Open Streets is provided by The Chicago Community Trust.

Open Streets has again been organized at the grassroots level with five community-based organizations: the Active Transportation Alliance has worked with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness, Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation and Enlace Chicago.

Open Streets has also relied on support from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Chicago Park District, Mayor’s Office of Special Events, Office of Emergency Management and Communications. The Chicago Park District and local aldermen’s support has also made the event a reality.

The Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit, member-based advocacy organization that works to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. The organization builds a movement around active transportation, encourages physical activity, increases safety and builds a world-class transportation network. Formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, the Active Transportation Alliance is North America’s largest transportation advocacy organization, supported by more than 6,000 members, 1,000 volunteers and 35 full-time staff. For more information on the Active Transportation Alliance, visit www.activetrans.org or call 312.427.3325.

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