Why did you change the name from Bull City Summer Streets to Bull City Open Streets? The name was changed to better reflect this event as it will occur in months outside of summer time. We chose the name open streets to align with the Open Streets movement taking hold across the United States. When does Bull City Open Streets take place in 2011? The inaugural 2011 Bull City Open Streets will take place as a part of the Durham Earth Day Festival celebrations on Sunday May 1st from 12pm until 3pm. Bull City Open Streets will also be held in June, September and October. Stay tuned for the specific locations! Where does Bull City Open Streets take place? The event will take place on the streets around the Durham Farmer’s Market and Durham Central Park. See the map here for more details. What are Open Streets or Cyclovias? Open Streets have long been seen as a wildly popular and inexpensive way to get thousands of residents active on a weekly basis. These street openings occurred first in Bogota, Columbia in the early 1980s and are now weekly events. In Bogota, from 7 am to 2 pm on every Sunday, runners, skaters and bicyclists take over the streets. At the same time, stages are set up in city parks. Aerobics instructors, yoga teachers and musicians lead people through various performances. The largest is Bogotá with 2 million people attending (30% of citizens) on over 120km of car-free streets. The Bogota program was expanded under Bogota Mayor Enrique Penalosa, a former Durham resident and Duke graduate. More information can be found here. Top Ten reasons why should I go to Bull City Open Streets? 10. (add your reason) 9. To enjoy Durham at 5 mph rather than 30 mph 8. To walk the talk (and talk the walk) 7. To ride bikes safely on the street (without any cars) 6. To show your Durham spirit and play in Durham’s backyard. 5. To dance, salsa, zumba, jump, skate, blade, bike, jog, walk and laugh. 4. It costs nothing and will allow you to burn calories. 3. To add the moniker City of Health AND Medicine. 2. To show Durham that it can be known world-wide for physical activity opportunities (not just for its food). 1. This is one of the most fun, healthiest things you can do on Durham’s Earth Day celebration for you, your friends or family and Durham on May 1st from 12-3pm. What are the primary goals of Bull City Open Streets? •Increase the health and activity of Durham residents •Increase bicycling and walking as modes of travel •Highlight Durham as a walkable and bikeable city •Increase downtown vitality, mobility and livability •Bring residents from all parts of Durham together to walk or ride •Reduce dependence on the car for all transportation trips •Support the local economy by promoting downtown businesses and reducing traffic congestion •Increase environmental and climate change awareness Why are you starting Bull City Open Streets (the lofty vision-type language tied to statistics)? City roads can connect people as well as divide communities. Our roads link neighborhoods, businesses and social activities. Some roads can even promote better health with sidewalks and bike lanes. As we have seen in the recent years (and noted by the Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission report -http://www.bikewalkdurham.org/BPAC_maps.html) our streets are deadly and the impact hits Durham’s most vulnerable populations. • African-American residents made up almost 60% of crash victims. • A study by UNC’s Highway Safety Research Center suggests that on a per-capita basis, there are more pedestrian crashes involving children in Durham than in any other community in North Carolina • Despite completing long-deferred investment in trails, sidewalks and the like, pedestrian crashes actually went up almost 25% in the 2003-2007 period versus 1997-2002, from a mean of 96 per year in the first period to 120 per year in the second period. Another critical issue that impacts Durham’s youth (and general population) is obesity and the need for physical activity. Durham needs to be seen as the City of Health AND Medicine. Consider these statistics: • 64% of adults are overweight or obese (28% obese) • Percent of overweight and obese children 34% (for North Carolina) • North Carolina has the 12th highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 28.3 percent and the 14th highest of overweight youths (ages 10-17) at 33.5 percent, according to a new report by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) • Children need 60 minutes of active and vigorous play every day to grow up to a healthy weight • 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 ½ hours to using entertainment media including TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies in a typical day, • Only a third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity
