LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A portion of Bardstown Road was shut down Sunday to promote alternative methods of transportation.
After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CycLOUvia returned as bicycles, skateboards and more were ridden on the typically busy roadway. Bardstown Road was closed to motorists from Grinstead Drive to Douglass Boulevard.
Mayor Greg Fischer named the event in honor of Tom Owen, a former Louisville Metro Councilmember, who advocates for bicycles and pedestrians.
Owen, who served as a councilmember representing District 8 from 2003 to 2017, said the event is a celebration of the community coming together.
"This is a day to get off your duff and to come together as a community," Owen said. "People of all sizes, conditions, shades and abilities and just come together and celebrate a beautiful day."
Jimmy Flaherty, co-owner of Parkside Bikes, says its great to see pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, even if it's for just one day. The bicycle shop on Bardstown Road welcomed people throughout the day.
"We get a lot of people in, not necessarily for sales, but for more questions, tire inflations, 'how's it going,' see who we are," Flaherty said. "We're happy to be here."
Beyond promoting other forms of transportation, organizers hope the event can promote mental, physical and emotional health.
"This event means to me more than just sidewalk and street," Owen said. "It means some release of pent up isolation. This community has gone through some really rough territory in the last 14, 15 months with COVID and racial reckoning, with challenges of all kind."
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
