Candy Cranks

“A quality city is not one that has great roads but one where a child can safely go anywhere on a bicycle.” Enrique Peñalosa, Former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia.

Sunday Streets originated about 30 years ago in Bogota, Columbia as a day to promote free, health and community oriented events.  Since then the concept has spread around the world, and 2010 will be the second year that San Francisco has hosted Sunday Streets.

Basically, Sunday Streets is a day when the city blocks off traffic in a certain neighborhood or closes a major city street to cars and buses, giving pedestrians and cyclists free reign.

It’s been a huge hit in San Francisco, and Mayor Newsom recently announced the new 2010 schedule, which will extend Sunday Streets into new communities and will feature nine dates and longer hours, from 10am - 330pm.

Here are the new dates and locations for 2010:

• March 14: Embarcadero, starting at Fisherman’s Wharf and PIER 39, south to China Basin and Terry Francois Blvd.
• April 11: Along the Great Highway, coinciding with World Health Day’s “1,000 Cities, 1,000 Lives” international event, as one of thousands of cities hosting simultaneous car-free events worldwide.
• April 18: Bayview, along Third Street from King and Fourth (Caltrain Station) to Bayview Playground.

• May 23: Bayview, in conjunction with the 3rd Street Corridor Project and Bayview Merchant’s Association’s “3rd Street Festival.”
• June 20: Mission, along Valencia and 24th Streets.
• July 11: Mission, exact location TBD.
• August 22: Great Highway/Golden Gate Park.
• September 19: NEW: Western Addition, exact location TBD.
• October 24: NEW Civic Center/Tenderloin, exact location TBD.

The last Sunday Streets I went to was back in July in the Mission and it turned out to be such a perfect day of bikes, art, food, friends and sunshine.

We ended the day in Dolores Park, one of the best spots in SF to just chill and soak up all the awesomeness that is our city.  Merry Christmas, errybody <3!