PORTLAND, Ore. – North Portland residents were experiencing what it’s like to function without vehicles for a day while the city tries a car-free experiment.

Six miles of streets were closed off to vehicles on Sunday, June 22nd, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of the event called ‘Sunday Parkways.’ The city and area residents have been planning the event since a year in advance.

The goal of the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation was to create a six-mile temporary park connecting North Portland neighborhoods. It’s also an experiment to coincide with a conference hosted by the World Carfree Network in Portland this week.

“Sunday Parkways features the best of Portland, bringing neighborhoods together and encouraging everyone to get out and enjoy our walkable and bikeable city. North Portland’s mix of traditions, cultures, and great linkable parks make it the perfect place to hold this special community event,” said City Commissioner Sam Adams.

The experiment was patterned after Bogota Columbia's Ciclovias, where every Sunday, streets are closed to cars so that people can bike, roller blade, run, and stroll without traffic. On an average weekend in Bogata, 1.5 million residents and visitors enjoy their 113 km of connected streets looping all over their city.

Back in Portland, residents will be “encouraged” to limit their motor vehicle use during the event. But all major roads crossing the Sunday Parkway route will remain open to motor vehicle traffic, according to a press release on the Office of Transportation Web site.

It went on to explain that other, smaller intersections will be closed and staffed by volunteers, allowing residents to get to and from their driveways along the route, which involves five different North Portland neighborhoods.

TriMet buses and trains along the Interstate MAX route will also continue to operate.

"Because the route has no start or finish, people can ride a bike or catch a bus to any convenient location along the route and join in the fun in the spirit of community connection," said Susan Remmers, Executive Director of the Community Cycling Center.

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The community Cycling Center helped to organize the event. A grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, and major community sponsorship from Kaiser Permanente the City of Portland also helped the plan come together. Additional community sponsors include Fred Meyer, Metro, NW Health Foundation, and Weir Cyclery.

“Health, transportation, recreation, community, environmental, and safety interests all benefit by partnering to implement Sunday Parkways. I encourage everyone to take their families out to the parkway and try something new,” Adams added.

For more information, to volunteer, or to lead a fun activity, visit our website at www.GettingAroundPortland.org and click on Sunday Parkways, or call Janis McDonald at 503-823-5358.