Philadelphia

Move Out of the Way Cars! Philly Streets Open Up for Walkers, Bikers

Have you ever wanted to explore miles of Philadelphia without worrying about cars getting in your way?

Thanks to Philly Free Streets the city will be "temporarily closing Philly streets to vehicles, inviting people to walk, bike and play."

Here’s the deal. On Saturday, about 10 miles of major Philadelphia thoroughfares will be shut down from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The routes run from South and Front streets to the South Street Bridge up the Schuylkill River Trail to Martin Luther King Drive to West Fairmount Park area of the Please Touch Museum. Motorists will be able to intermittently cross South Street at 4th, 7th, 8th, 11th, Broad, 19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd streets, said Philadelphia Police.

car free philly map
City of Philadelphia

The closed routes will host free, family-friendly fitness activities and pop-up educational programming. The Schuylkill River Trail makes up a permanent non-vehicle portion of the route.

The car-free paths move through more than one dozen city neighborhoods.

Events include:

9 a.m. -- Mile-long power walk led by Mayor Jim Kenney. Starting point is 2nd and South.

9 a.m. -- Group Run with November Project. Meet at the Art Museum steps for a 2-mile run to the Philly Free Streets community programs in West Fairmount Park.

9 a.m. -- High-energy Strenth, Conditioning and Cardio Boot Camp. This is a 45-minute interactive, high-energy workout. Meet on MLK Drive just south of Strawberry Mansion Bridge.

10:30 a.m. -- Join the stroll and roll to the Rec Fest, Carousel House Recreation Center, 4300 Avenue of the Republic.

11 a.m. -- Group Bike Ride with Council Curtis Jones, Jr., Meet at the Falls Bridge and ride up to the Philly Free Streets community programs in West Fairmount Park (Sweet Briar Field).

11:30 a.m. -- Group Bike Ride. Meet the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia at Front & South for a group ride along the entire Philly Free Streets route -- all the way to West Fairmount Park and back.

Noon -- Celebrity Stroll with Patti Jackson of WDAS Radio. Stroll with Jackson, a stroke survivor, from the Art Museum steps.

The car-free closure was spurred on by Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia last September. Whole sections of Center City were car free because of security closures for the multi-day visit.

For more information on other events, prizes and discounts, visit www.phillyfreestreets.com.

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