Ciclovía (also ciclovia or cyclovia) is a Spanish term, meaning “bike path,” used in Latin America to mean either a permanent designated bicycle route or a temporary event closing of the street to automobiles to allow dominance by other users. Permanent designated bicycle lanes are also known as ciclo-rutas, while streets temporarily closed for that purpose are always called ciclovías.
I’m fairly shocked that Winnipeg was chosen as the first city in Canada to host a ciclovia. The event will take place September 13th from 8am to 6pm. The entire north side of Broadway will be closed to vehicles between Main and Osborne. The goal is to connect Assiniboine Park to the Forks.
This is not only an event for cyclers. It’s geared towards everyone and will include activities such as hat maze, a farmers’ market, street vendors, kids’ zone, buskers, horse drawn wagons and outdoor fitness classes. The band “Oh My Darling” will be wrapping up the event at the Forks at 4pm.
The goal of this event is to promote physical activity, community building and the environmental benefits of using non-motorized forms of transportation – which are all things that I believe need more attention here in Winnipeg.
This is going to be an awesome event. For more information or to apply to be a volunteer, vendor, merchant or participant you can check out Downtown Winnipeg Biz’ website.
Image Ciclovia_poster_for_web Originally uploaded by AccessWinnipeg
