OpenStreetsPGH Celebrating 5th Anniversary – 2019 Routes Announced
Contact: Alexandria Shewczyk, BikePGH, (412) 325-4334PITTSBURGH – Bike Pittsburgh (BikePGH) is celebrating the 5th Anniversary of OpenStreetsPGH this year and presenting sponsor UPMC Health Plan is excited to host this summer series with over 100,000 people expected to participate.
“OpenStreetsPGH is Pittsburgh’s fastest growing free event series that invites Pittsburghers to reimagine their streets as places for people, not just cars. After 5 years, this event series has grown from 44,000 participants in 2015 to 113,000 participants in 2018,” said Mike Carroll, Events Director at BikePGH. “This year we will be opening streets in 14 neighborhoods by temporarily closing them to cars. Inviting people to explore their community streets in a safer, healthier, more livable way.”
The event is organized by BikePGH, a registered 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit, who works on behalf of the Pittsburgh community to make the city safe and accessible for everyone to bike and walk. BikePGH is committed to improving the health and quality of life of Pittsburgh through increased access to safe bicycling and walking facilities, and by creating opportunities to bike and walk for all.
OpenStreetsPGH offers something for everyone, from fitness workshops, to kids activities, shopping, brunch, community arts, and special promotions presented by over 100 local businesses and organizations. There are three event hubs along the route: two hubs will feature free fitness classes by the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh and one hub will feature a brand new BikePGH Kids Bicycling Education classes.
Unlike other events, OpenStreetsPGH does not necessitate a completely continuous street closure. At each event, car drivers will be able to cross the route at a dozen intersections along the route.
OpenStreetsPGH is inspired by the open streets movement – a global phenomenon promoting healthy outdoor activity and community engagement using city streets. Pittsburgh is one of hundreds of cities worldwide (over 100 in North America alone) that hold open streets events.
Check out the 2019 OpenStreetsPGH Schedule: Last weekend of May, June, and July (9AM – 1PM)
Saturday, May 25th: Homewood, Larimer, East Liberty, Shadyside, and North Point Breeze
Explore five neighborhoods in Pittsburgh’s East End! At 4.4 miles, this is the longest OpenStreetsPGH route yet, and it’s a loop so you can go around and around until you’ve seen every last sight!
Where to go: Shadyside Hub in Mellon Park, East Liberty Hub at Center Ave, and the Peoples Hub in Homewood at Kelly St.
Sunday, June 30th: Downtown, Strip District, Lawrenceville
Penn Avenue and Butler Street are yours for the day, so lace up your sneakers or pump up your bike tires! Come out to Explore hundreds of businesses from Market Square to the Strip District to Lawrenceville on our most popular route yet!
Where to go: The Peoples Hub at Market Square, Strip District Hub at 28th St., Lawrenceville Hub at 52nd St.
Sunday, July 28th: Downtown, Uptown, South Side
Take a classic Pittsburgh experience – traveling from a bridge into a tunnel – and try it on foot or by bike! Explore Downtown, Uptown, and Southside including the Birmingham Bridge, the 10th St Bridge, and the Armstrong Tunnel!
Where to go: The Peoples Hub at Market Square, Uptown Hub at Gist St, South Side Hub at 20th.
Media and the public are encouraged to visit http://openstreetspgh.org/media/, or follow OpenStreetsPGH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for updates and details on event happenings. For more information on how to get to OpenStreetsPGH, visit https://openstreetspgh.org/getting-here/.
About Us
The event is organized by Bike Pittsburgh and is made possible through major support from UPMC Health Plan. Additional support is provided by, Peoples, The Benter Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Wahilia Creative, AARP, Port Authority, Uber, and PNC.
