No cars allowed as bikes and feet take over downtown streets

Open Streets Macon is rolling back into town Sunday for another afternoon of car-free and bike-friendly streets.

Sections of College Street and Montpelier Avenue will be closed to vehicles and opened up for foot traffic, bicycles, fun activities and more.

“Open Streets Macon is a car-free celebration of public space, bringing people together to re-imagine how we use our streets,” said Susannah Maddux, a spokeswoman for the initiative.

The free event will run 1.5 miles from Washington Memorial Library to the A.L. Miller Village on Montpelier.

The event is an initiative of Bike Walk Macon, a bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group in Macon.

“Open Streets Macon gives people an opportunity to bike or walk the streets for maybe the first time,” said Rachel Hollar, the group’s executive director.

Along the route, pedestrians will find interactive activities for the family, including tango lessons, yoga, hula hooping, break dancing and more. There will also be walking tours of historic neighborhoods in the area as well as live music, bike repair stations and a cornhole tournament.

Open Streets Macon aims to reshape how Macon residents use public spaces while promoting a sense of community, alternative transportation and local business.

This year’s Open Streets Macon will be different from the inaugural event in 2016.

“We switched the route around a little bit (from last year) because we wanted to go through a business district. It allows people to eat and drink along the way,” Hollar said.

The event is expected to have a minimal impact on motorized traffic. Intersections will remain open, and access will be granted to residents and businesses located along the route.

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 12:46 PM with the headline "No cars allowed as bikes and feet take over downtown streets."