If Andrea Garland has her way, this Saturday (Aug. 1) the streets of Roanoke will be filled with bikers, walkers, runners and others just playing, during the valley’s first “Ciclovia.” The event will last from 9am to 1pm, covering portions of Jefferson, Franklin, Church, and Market Streets.
“Anything [participants] can possibly do in an open space,” said Garland. Those not on bikes can take free fitness classes from the YMCA.
Despite the name, Garland stresses that Ciclovia is not strictly for the Spandex crowd.
“We want to make sure people know it’s a family event. We want people to bring their kids with tricycles.” Ciclovia (Cee-Cloh-vee-yah) will turn downtown Roanoke “into an urban park, basically,” said Garland, a native of Bogotá, Columbia, where Ciclovia events are a regular occurrence.
“That’s why I’m using the name. It takes place in other cities in the United States but they have different names.” Several organizations “in tune” with the message of Ciclovia will be on hand Saturday to make information available, said Garland.
Originally slated for National Biking Month in May, it took longer than expected to secure all of the permits needed to shut down city streets. The Roanoke chapter of Bike Walk Virginia is staging Ciclovia. Garland, a transportation engineer by trade, would like to see the car-less area grow for future Ciclovias, but said, “we’re starting small,” with the first one this weekend.
In Bogotá, said Garland, “this event happens every Sunday of the year. There’s hundreds of streets [closed] to traffic. It’s a huge event [and] fully sponsored by the city.”
She hopes to see Roanoke “step in” to help with future Ciclovias.
“Think of it as a big block party,” suggests Garland.
Visit bikewalkvirginia.org for more information.