Scenic Streets to push cars off road Sunday
For four hours on Sunday, motorized traffic won’t be welcome on Frazier Avenue or on the Market Street Bridge — but virtually everything else will be.
Scenic Streets Chattanooga will take over the streets from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., opening the North Shore and the Market Street Bridge to cycling, walking and skating to encourage residents and visitors to slow down and appreciate the public spaces in the city.
“These kinds of events happen all over the world,” event coordinator Christy Smith said Friday. “Sometimes they are called cyclovias, because they were started in South America.
“We were inspired, as other cities in the United States have been, by this movement of ‘ open streets,’ which the concept is to get people moving on their own instead of in cars. To slow down, to walk, to bike; to enjoy the things that are on the streets, including the shops.”
Scenic Streets is being organized and funded with the help of the Chattanooga transportation department as well as Bike Tours Direct, the Chattanooga Market, North Shore Insurance, the North Shore Chamber, Publix and Nektur Marketing. The event is scheduled to happen rain or shine, with some events such as the kids’ bike rodeo moving inside the Outdoor Chattanooga offices if the weather is bad.
The city has put its support behind Scenic Streets Chattanooga, with transportation and police officials offering help and support throughout the planning process.
“This is something the city is backing just because we feel it’s a great event to get people active and out there,” said Ashley Belknap, public space coordinator for the city. “We really want to promote using public spaces, opening them up for people who live in the city to use them. So this is a great opportunity for that to happen and for people to get out on their bikes or walk.”
Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher is putting his support for the event front and center, as he will lead a kick-off bike ride on Frazier at 11:30 a.m.
Fletcher has been very supportive, Smith said. “From the get- go when we said we were going to do this, the chief was on board and wanted to lead the ride. He’s made sure his guys from bike patrol are going to be down there, too.”
While roads and the bridge are closed, detours will be marked for those who need to get around the event by car.
“There’s a lot of things we consider when closing the streets, especially when closing the bridge, as far as detouring people around,” Belknap said. “We always try to find the most direct detour to help people get around because of those street closures.”
In addition to biking and walking, vendors from the Chattanooga Market will be selling food and other goods, street-chalking has been planned as well as other games and events to make the day fun for everyone, including dogs that are welcome as long as they are accompanied by their owners.
“It’s been good so far. I haven’t had too much negative,” Smith said. “We really wanted to make sure that this is about people. This is about enjoying public space with your family and friends.”