Sunday, September 9, 2012: Cyclovia Providence: Broad Street will be closed to traffic for exclusive use of pedestrians, runners, skaters, and bicyclists

Broad Street will be closed to traffic for exclusive use of pedestrians, runners, skaters, and bicyclists.

On Sunday, September 9, a half-mile stretch of Broad Street will be closed to traffic for Cyclovia Providence, a car-free event that opens the street for people of all ages to walk, skate, run, bicycle, exercise and socialize. The event will occur from 10am to 2pm on Broad Street between Thurbers Avenue and Prairie Avenue in the heart of Providence's historic Elmwood neighborhood.

"Cyclovia Providence will turn Broad Street into a giant paved pedestrian and bike path for people from every corner of our city to come together, exercise, have fun and enjoy a new perspective on all that Providence has to offer," said Mayor Taveras.

Sponsored by Mayor Angel Taveras in collaboration with the Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, Cyclovia will include bike rentals and bike repair, dance lessons, yoga and food vendors from Broad Street restaurants.

• Recycle A Bike will provide bike rentals, valet bike parking have bikes for sale, as well as a tent to fix flat tires and conduct bike repair lessons
• Rising Stars Dance Academy will conduct Zumba aerobic dance lessons every hour throughout the event, with lessons beginning at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm and 1:30pm
• SWAP (Stop Wasting Abandoned Properties) will host free yoga sessions at 11am and 12pm, taught by an instructor from Yoga on the South Side
• The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council will provide bike tune-ups and operate a table with information available about the organization's Woonasquatucket River bicycle path fundraising event on Sept. 22
• The Little City Growers Coop will have a tent selling locally farmed herbs, greens, and veggies
• Legend Bicycle, Dash Bicycle and REI will raffle free prizes, including bike locks and helmets and other bicycle equipment

Cyclovia is an international phenomenon that reportedly began in Bogotá, Colombia and has spread to cities across the globe, including New York City, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Cambridge, MA. Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a nonprofit planning organization, has described Cyclovia as a large-scale community building exercise that facilitates social interaction and activity between people of all ages, incomes, occupations, religions and races.

"Cyclovia Providence is a great way to get more people walking and biking in our city, and to build awareness and support for investments in bike lanes and public transit," said Jef Nickerson, a member of the Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission and the founder of the blog Greater City Providence.

Mayor Taveras established the five-member commission this past spring to study changes in laws for bicycles and pedestrians and to help incorporate bicycle and pedestrian planning in the city's Sustainability Action Plan.

Providence's first-ever Cyclovia event will occur in Elmwood - a family neighborhood and one of Providence's most ethnically and culturally diverse communities, anchored by a vibrant business district on Broad Street with ethnic restaurants that draw patrons from across the city.