By Collin Kelley
INtown Editor
Tens of thousands participated in last year’s Atlanta Streets Alive events, and the 2014 schedule is shaping up bring even more folks out to bike, walk, skate and enjoy their communities on streets closed to vehicular traffic for an afternoon.
The year kicks off with in historic West End on April 20 from 2 to 6 p.m. More than 15,000 are expected to take part in the event, according to Rebecca Serna, Executive Director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, which sponsors the ASA initiative.
The A 2.7-mile route will run along Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, Murphy Avenue and White Avenue. There will be easy access to the event right outside the West End MARTA station. Along with the historic homes and landmarks (the Wren’s Nest and Adair Park, for example), there will be activities all along the route.
“We picked West End because we feel like it’s an overlooked Atlanta gem,” Serna said. “There are so man beautiful homes, cultural assets and an active neighborhood association.”
West End isn’t the only neighborhood on the schedule for 2014. On May 18, ASA will take over a 3-mile stretch of Peachtree Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to West Peachtree. A northern stretch of Peachtree will be spotlighted on Sept. 7, while the event will return to Highland Avenue on Oct. 5.
Serna said the growth of ASA has been amazing to watch. Nearly 160,000 people took part in last year’s street parties, including 83,000 on the Highland loop event alone.
“I think the success of Atlanta Streets Alive is a testament to the fact that is a thirst for community engagement and the opportunities to see the city in a different way – outside a vehicle.”
This year’s ASA sponsors include MailChimp, Ponce City Market, Jamestown, REI, New Belgium, and the Waterfall Foundation, and partners include the West End Neighborhood Association, Ceasar Mitchell, Atlanta City Council President.
For more information, visit atlantastreetsalive.com.
