Open Streets Success!
GCC Friends,
History was made on Sunday, Oct 5, in downtown Gainesville as University Avenue was closed to car traffic so that several thousand citizens could enjoy using a one-mile section of car-free University Avenue for walking, cycling, chalk art in the street, yoga, Zumba, hula hoops, jump ropes, dancing, live music, and just enjoying a public space on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Open Streets Gainesville. Open Streets was the result of the hard work of a collaborative group made up of Gainesville Citizens for Active Transportation, Get Active GNV, and the GCC.
How many came out? The estimates vary, but I was told 3,000 attendees were present on the street at any given moment. At least one restaurant along the route ran out of food! The corner store at University and Main reported "the best day we've ever had." We had more people approach our GCC Welcome Tent asking how to join GCC than I have seen at any previous public event.
If you missed Open Streets Gainesville, your neighbors and friends can fill you in. If you came out and enjoyed Open Streets, thought it was fun, and want more such events, I hope you will take time to let the City of Gainesville, Florida Dept. of Transportation, and our City and County Commissioners know how much you enjoyed yourself. You may also want to take a moment to write a letter to the editor of the Gainesville Sun. Tell a friend, neighbor, or coworker not to miss the next one!
Big thanks to Chandler Otis, Gwen Creel, Mike Beckham, Julie Baker, and Tim Darymple for volunteering to help staff our GCC tent. Thanks to you, I was able to decorate my bike and ride the one-mile route several times, meet friends, coworkers, political candidates, City Public Works staff, an FDOT rep, business owners, kids, dogs, and activity group leaders. I was able to hear great live music, do the bike limbo, and leave a chalk drawing at the intersection of University and Main. I got to experience Open Streets.
Thank you to the Saddle Tramps and Hokey Pokeys for riding to the event and participating in the Bike Parade. Today, YOU were the faces of GCC!
Finally, thank you to my fellow GCC Board members for supporting sponsorship of this event. FDOT and the City provided a lot of help, but it still costs money to put on a street closure event of this magnitude. I am very proud to know that the Gainesville Cycling Club helped make Open Streets happen!