Dear Family (Biking) Matters,
I saw that Hill Family Biking is hosting a bike ride during the first-ever Open Streets Capitol Hill on June 28th. What exactly is Open Streets and why should I be excited to attend? -–Open to Open Streets
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Hi, Open!
Thanks for the great questions. Open Streets is a community-based program that involves temporarily closing down streets from vehicles to transform them into car-free public spaces for people to play, socialize with friends, and use active forms of transportation, such as walking, rolling, scootering, and bicycling.
Open streets programming has made an impact in countries all over the world, ranging from weekly events like the pioneering Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia to annual events like Open streets PGH in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) hosted the District’s first Open Streets on Georgia Avenue in 2019. DC’s approach is a hybrid model that combines festival booths and organized programming with traditional opportunities like biking, rolling, and walking. As of today, all eight of the city’s wards have hosted an Open Streets event, including the most recent one in Ward 2 on 7th Street NW in October 2024. However, there has not been an Open Streets event in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, until now!
Hill Family Biking has long advocated for an Open streets day in our neighborhood, and we are thrilled it’s finally happening. This year, DDOT will host Open Streets Capitol Hill on June 28 by closing one mile of streets to car traffic on North Carolina Avenue SE, East Capitol Street, and Massachusetts Avenue SE from 6th Street SE to 17th Street SE. You can look forward to a mile packed with activities for anyone looking to walk, roll, scoot, bike, hang out with neighbors, enjoy planned games and activities, and check out community booths (including ours and our friends’ The Hill is Home, HillRag, WABA, and ANC 6A, 6B, 6C, and 7D). Not to mention, it’s all FREE! Make sure to also join Hill Family Biking for our Bike Parade Ride during Open streets.
Personally, I love Open streets programming of all forms. As someone who grew up on a street with relentless traffic and cracked sidewalks, learning to ride a bike as a kid was far from easy or safe. Looking back, I know I probably would have benefitted from a program like this tremendously in those pivotal early years. My experiences have shaped my understanding of how critical safe and accessible streets are, especially for kids. Open streets programs don’t just create spaces for kids to ride bikes and enjoy outdoor recreation, but they can also help them gain confidence in urban biking and thus support their physical, mental and social well-being.
When I spent a month in Mexico City in 2023, I was captivated by the city’s highly successful Muévete en Bici program. Watching the streets transform into a car-free oasis EVERY SUNDAY was both inspiring and a lot of fun. It was easy to spot smiles in the crowds of people of all ages and abilities coming together to enjoy the open roads. This event created space for outdoor recreation for both residents and visitors while supporting many of the city’s broader goals: encouraging physical activity, lowering rates of chronic disease, reducing air pollution from vehicles, and boosting the local economy by actively connecting people with key destinations and attractions.
Today, as a transportation planner passionate about public health and a volunteer with Hill Family Biking, I truly appreciate Open streets programs. These events offer space for outdoor recreation and physical activity, while also helping people build confidence in using active modes of transportation such as walking, rolling, biking, or taking transit in urban settings. You should be super excited to attend! Seriously, don’t take this opportunity for granted!
I know you will have a blast at Open Streets Capitol Hill on June 28th! And if you enjoy this event, consider advocating for more safe, accessible, and inclusive active transportation opportunities across our city in the future. Your advocacy can help ensure these kinds of experiences become a regular part of our city’s streets.
See you on the streets!
Jessica Allen
Hill Family Biking Organizing Committee Member and Transportation Planning Consultant in DC