Vehicles removed from city streets for last Open Streets Pittsburgh event of the season

WPXI.com News Staff
·2 min read
1

Roads in Pittsburgh were temporarily shut down this morning to allow people to walk, run and bike without worrying about cars.

Saturday marked the last Open Streets Pittsburgh event of the season. All vehicles, including parked ones, were removed from the East End loop. The loop includes South Highland to Broad Street, Frankstown Avenue to North Homewood Avenue and Thomas Boulevard to Fifth Avenue, which connects back to South Highland.

The loop available to participants who wanted to enjoy the empty streets stretched 4.4 miles. Cars were prohibited on the road at 3:00 a.m., and bikers and walkers were able to explore the streets from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

“It’s amazing. I’ve been to many of them so far. But it’s so nice to have the streets open for bikers and walkers. You can actually explore and see new places that you wouldn’t actually see driving through,” said Lamar Watson, a participant.

Open Streets Pittsburgh events are designed to encourage car-free transportation and outdoor activity. Members of Bike Pittsburgh, the organization who sets up these events, are the ones pushing this goal.

Scott Bricker, the executive director of Bike Pittsburgh, said a lot goes into setting up an Open Streets Pittsburgh event.

“We are a staff of 10 people. And you can see it cost an immense amount of money to put these on. We need sponsors, we need foundations, in order to keep this free and open to the public. There is no barrier to entry. This is free,” said Bricker.

The money used to fund Open Streets Pittsburgh is mostly given as donations or comes from proceeds from the organization’s annual fundraiser, Pedal Pittsburgh.

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