A memorable feature of the early months of the pandemic was the eerie quietness of the streets. Commuting plummeted, and most other forms of motorized travel declined, too. So it was a bit ironic that an established event designed to give Pittsburgh a taste of streets reserved for people rather than cars all but disappeared for two years as well.
Advocacy group and OpenStreetsPGH organizer BikePGH canceled the 2020 season, and last year held just one scaled-down event. But this year, OpenStreets is back in gear, with a full slate of three summer events for bicyclists, roller-skaters, and pedestrians. It begins Sunday, when a two-mile route through Downtown and the South Side will close to cars for four hours and be enlivened with fitness classes, performances and kids’ activities.
Open Streets began in 2015, and its events routinely draw 10,000 or more visitors, said Bike PGH events director Keya Joseph. An estimated 65,000 attended the three 2019 events, she said.
Hundreds of cities around the world hold OpenStreets events, according to BikePGH.
“When you remove motor vehicles from a space, it really makes it more accessible, more friendly, and that’s what we’re hoping to build a movement for,” said Joseph. “It’s people building people-centered spaces instead of car-centered spaces.
This year’s Open Streets will be familiar to past visitors with the new wrinkle that instead of being spread along the route, attractions like fitness classes and bicycling-education sessions will be concentrated at three hubs from Market Square to East Carson Street: Health & Wellness, Arts & Culture, and Kids and Family.
Participating groups and businesses range from independent food vendors to the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy, Steel City Roller Derby and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. The main sponsor is UPMC Health Plan.
Another attraction is the route itself. It’s just two miles — the shortest OpenStreets route — but includes the rare chance to skate down the middle of the Tenth Street Bridge or bike safely through the Armstrong Tunnel.
“You can’t really help but kind of do a yell as you’re riding through the tunnel,” quips Joseph. “You get in there and people are just going ‘Wooo!’ and hearing the echoes. Something about being in an empty tunnel makes humans go ‘Woo!’”
This season’s other OpenStreets events are June 26 (Downtown, Strip District, Lawrenceville) and July 30 (Homewood, Larimer, East Liberty, Shadyside, North Point Breeze).
The events are free.
