City hosts first “Eugene Sunday Streets” vehicle-free event in response to community requests

by Jaculynn Peterson on September 16, 2011 · 2 comments

[MAP] FREE Sept 18 event will be held from noon to 4 pm in downtown Eugene

The city of Eugene is hosting, for the first time on September 18, Eugene Sunday Streets – an admission-free, and vehicle-free community event – which will feature live music and fun activities for people of all ages.

The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. in downtown Eugene [Download event map and schedule]. All the activities and entertainment are free. Street-cart food will be available for purchase.

All the action will happen on a vehicle-free route, along 5th Avenue from Pearl Street to Blair Boulevard with loops on either end. The event will open three miles of city streets for people to walk, roll and dance.

Any mode of non-motorized transportation is welcome, including bicycles, skateboards, and roller skates.

“Please leave your horses at home, however,” said Lindsay Selser, lead event coordinator and transportation options coordinator for the city of Eugene.

According to city officials, there are two main “activity centers” along the route: Washington-Jefferson Park and Campbell Community Center. Activities at the park include a UO pedal-powered stage with the Conjugal Visitors (bluegrass), Kingdom County (folk rock) and a DJ. Activities include a West African dance workshop, hoop class, slack-lining, a bike safety rodeo and a family bike ride.

Campbell Community Center will offer free yoga, tai chi, line dancing, a guided history walk, live music and much more. Fun outdoor activities for kids will take place at Lamb Cottage. A full route map and activity schedule can be found online at EugeneSundayStreets.org.

The route will go from the 5th Street Market downtown to Whiteaker’s Blair District connecting several neighborhoods and local parks. With no designated start or finish, community members of all ages can enjoy the two-way route at their own pace.

“Members of the community have been asking us to do this event for almost three years now…especially members in the biking and walking community, as they’ve seen these types of events crop up all over the United States,” said Selser. “There are over 40 communities in the US that now have ‘open streets’ type events including, NYC, Chicago, Spokane, Missoula, and Portland.”

The open streets movement originated in Bogotá, Columbia, where every Sunday more than 70 miles of roadway are transformed as ciclovías, car-free spaces for people to enjoy with social, exercise, and entertainment activities.

Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Although many cities host “open streets” events on a weekly basis, Eugene is testing the public waters with Eugene Sunday Streets on September 18.

“This is a pilot project. We will do this one event and see how successful it is and then gauge whether or not to do the events again in the future,” said Selser. “We are interested in doing more of these events and think they will be really successful but will need to develop strong community partnerships to find funding for future events.”

Either way, Selser says that the event will help the city to achieve its goals of reducing fossil fuel use by “encouraging people to use alternatives to motor vehicles for the day.”

“People will get to experience how easy it is to walk, or bike in a traffic-free environment and hopefully they will continue to use alternative modes in the future,” she said.

Sunday Streets is expected to attract 4,000 community members. Although neighbors are encouraged to limit or postpone their driving between noon and 4 p.m. on the day of the event, there will designated intersections for allowing residents access to their homes. [Download map of bus routes that will be closed during the event.]

“I am absolutely thrilled to be organizing such a wonderful community event,” said Selser. “I am really proud to work for a city that supports these types of events and I hope that everyone gets to get out and enjoy Eugene Sunday Streets.”

Approximately 10.8 percent of Eugene area residents commute to work via bicycle, according to the 2009 American Community Survey. That percentage is the second-highest ranking in the nation.