TAMPA
Traffic on Kennedy Boulevard traveled by bicycle, roller skate, skateboard and foot in downtown Tampa on Sunday — everything but cars.
The usually busy road was closed to vehicles from Tampa Street to Nebraska Avenue for much of the day for what is called Cyclovia, an event in which participating cities shut down major streets to open them for cyclists and pedestrians.
Booths offering helmet fittings and safety information, food trucks, live music and more set up along the street. Visitors rode along on a wide variety of bikes, scooters, skateboards and roller skates.
"Throughout the day, every time I look, I see something different," said Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione, who was at the event. "There's unicycles, tall bikes, wheelbarrow bikes."
Cyclovia, along with the Coast Bike Share bicycle racks lining the downtown streets, highlighted Tampa's increasing promotion of transportation besides cars. Tampa Bay has been ranked as the second-most dangerous metro area for pedestrians in numerous national studies.
Montelione said the adoption of more pedestrian- and bicyclist-inclusive policies should help soften that reputation. So should events such as the one Sunday.
"It brings a lot of attention to the fact that bicycles and pedestrians are seen more frequently on the roadways," she said.
Jose Locarno rode around on his bike, checking out booths and eating at the food truck Michelle Faedo's on the Go.
Originally from Colombia — the country where Cyclovia originated, according to event organizers — Locarno moved to St. Petersburg in 1996 and Tampa in 2005, but started commuting to work on his bicycle about two months ago. He said he hasn't had too much trouble yet, but has run into some problems, like people talking on their phones while driving.
"I'm glad we at least still have a small community that's starting to get more interested," Locarno said.
Many in the crowd Sunday were children and their families. Carla Gorman brought her 9-year-old son, Duncan, and 11-year-old daughter, Anya, to ride their bikes, play street hockey and enjoy the sunny Sunday weather.
"Just to be able to ride their bikes on a major street and not worry, it's nice," she said.
Though the bay area has a close-knit cycling community, Gorman said, it still needs to make strides in bicycle safety. Her husband, Joel, who owns Flying Fish Bikes in South Tampa, was injured after being hit by a car while riding his bike last year. A friend, Julio Vivo, remains in intensive care after a hit-and-run accident in Pasco County in September.
"We just have to continue to create positive events, positive awareness," Gorman said.
Bicyclists rode throughout downtown Tampa, including at the Tampa Downtown Market, which took place just outside Cyclovia near the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Drive.
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Explore all your optionsDiana Ortiz and Joe Bradley stopped by the market after visiting Cyclovia and biking around the Riverwalk. Sundays are generally safe to ride because there's less traffic, Ortiz said, but she hopes it becomes safer all-around.
"Tampa needs to have that enlightenment about being more safe about riding bikes," she said.
Hopefully an event like Cyclovia is a start, Montelione said.
"It's a great way to highlight what a walkable, bikeable city we have," she said.
Contact Jimmy Geurts at jgeurts@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3402. Follow @JimmyGeurts.