PITTSBURGH — Hundreds of bicyclists and pedestrians took over two miles of street in Hazelwood to celebrate the area.
Two miles of Hazelwood Avenue was shut down to traffic while residents and visitors participated in the OpenStreetsPittsburgh event.
Normally, the summertime Pittsburgh tradition hold multiple events throughout the summer hosted by different neighborhoods. However, Hazelwood was the only Open Streets for 2021, which was held as a mini-event.
“It’s nice you get to meet people in your neighborhood and see local businesses, enjoy just some quiet time walking or biking or taking your time,” Ellen Kotzin of Greenfield said.
OpenStreetsPGH is inspired by a global movement in which hundreds of cities around the world promote car-free transportation and healthy outdoor activity. The event was organized by Bike Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization, working to transform city streets and communities into vibrant, healthy places by making them safe and accessible for everyone to bike and walk.
“The kids get to ride freely without any cars around, and just experience outdoor bike riding because it’s really hard to bike in the city,” Kristen Raglin of East Liberty said.
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