Monterey County’s OPEN STREETS: Ciclovía Gonzales, Ciclovía Greenfield, Ciclovía King City, Ciclovía Salinas, Ciclovía Soledad
Wish for more Open Streets in Monterey County? They’re scheduled infrequently, so save the dates and come show your support! Bring family and friends to enjoy these car-free streets, a welcoming environment for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy biking, walking, rolling in a wheelchair, skating, skateboarding, scooting, or otherwise moving about.
As of October 14, 2024, to our knowledge, there have been five Open Streets locations in Monterey County—Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Salinas, and Soledad.
- Ciclovía Salinas launched October 6, 2013 and is normally an annual event. This Monterey County Open Streets web page features a history of Ciclovía Salinas, including 2013-2024 posters.
- A King City Ciclovía has taken place twice (as of 10/14/24): April 14, 2019 and October 13, 2024.
- The other three Monterey County locations have had one-time events thus far: Ciclovía Gonzales, on September 9, 2018; Ciclovía Soledad, on August 22, 2021; and Ciclovia Greenfield, on June 26, 2022.
- To stay informed about Ciclovia Salinas, refer to contact info later on this page. To stay informed about other Monterey County Open Streets / Ciclovia events, contact the Monterey County Health Department, email CicloviaSouthCounty@gmail.com, or on Instagram, check @CityOfKing_CA or @CicloviaSouthCounty.
This page features a history of
Ciclovía Salinas
Monterey County’s first Open Streets
Ciclovía Salinas
—Monterey County’s first Open Streets—
Below find Ciclovía Salinas…
1. Contact info plus social media accounts
2. Resources, including—in English y en español—the local Open Streets etiquette
3. Summary: who, what, when, where
4. How it happens: volunteer opportunities
5. History: photo galleries and event info since 2013, including acknowledgements
¡Evento gratis!
Ciclovía Salinas is a free event and is for all ages and abilities.
“Monterey County roads don’t all lead to Peninsula cities and Big Sur,” as told in this audio broadcast in 2013. Listen to get a sense of why people head to Ciclovía Salinas.
1. CONTACT INFO
Ciclovía Salinas
Phone: 831-287-5819 (per 2024 poster) or 831-272-2325 (per website, as of 9/26/24)
Email: cicloviasalinas@gmail.com
Se habla español and English
Ciclovía Salinas online
Website: http://cicloviasalinas.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ciclovia.salinas.ca
Instagram: http://instagram.com/cicloviasalinas
2. RESOURCES
Etiquette: Get familiar, and share with friends
(Click links to download these printable PDFs.)
- in English Ciclovia Salinas Etiquette – last updated for 2019
- en español Ciclovía Salinas – Reglas de comportamiento y la Ley – 2017 horas
Biking over to Ciclovía Salinas?
Be a good ambassador for the bike community by biking polite and observing traffic laws. Here are the bike law summaries referred to in those Ciclovía Salinas etiquette documents:
- Be Cool, Be Safe – Bike Law Summary & Advocating for Biking
- Leyes de ciclismo de CA – Laws for bicyclists in CA (Spanish, English) – Summary
- Curious about sidewalk riding? No need for that on the Ciclovía Salinas route, but for other places in Salinas? Click here.
3. SUMMARY
Who, what, when, where…
[Note: This info has not been updated for changes due to pandemic.]
Who started it? Ciclovía Salinas is a youth-led initiative launched by a youth committee of Building Healthy Communities-East Salinas. A diverse coalition of supporters, including City of Salinas officials, jumped in to support Salinas youth in creating this very special experience for residents and visitors.
What is it? People of all ages and abilities enjoy the fun and freedom of a stretch of public streets with no motor vehicle traffic. Ciclovía Salinas temporarily closes these streetsso people can walk, bike, roll in wheelchairs, skateboard, rollerblade, run, and engage in other people-powered transportation and physically active play and socializing. Arts, music, and other fun activities along the route add to the mix of this lively event.
When? Get on the Ciclovía Salinas email list to be alerted of future dates, and any possible changes. Ciclovía Salinas is normally an annual event. (The inaugural date was Sunday, October 6, 2013; second was Saturday, November 1, 2014; third, Sunday, October 25, 2015; fourth, Sunday, October 9, 2016; the fifth, Sunday, October 15, 2017; the sixth, Sunday, October 7, 2018; the seventh, Sunday, October 6, 2019 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.—a time change from 2018); the eighth, October 30-31 and November 1, 2020; no event in 2021; the ninth, March 20, 2022; and the tenth is scheduled for Sunday, October 15, 2023.
Where? Check with Ciclovía Salinas for any possible route updates. The route for 2015-2017 was along Alisal Street, between Sanborn Road in East Salinas / the Alisal and Main Street in Oldtown Salinas. (The route in 2013 and 2014 was the same except that it extended just a bit farther, to Salinas Street.)
If you’re able, kindly take the bus or bike to reach the Ciclovía Salinas route. Another option is to park your motor vehicle in Oldtown/downtown, then roll in a wheelchair, walk, or otherwise continue down Alisal Street. Ciclovía Salinas would like to have side-street parking near East Alisal left available for businesses along the route.
Active/healthy transportation. Ciclovía Salinas gives everyone an opportunity to experience using active/healthy transportation in a safe environment free of motor vehicles. That resulted in Ciclovía Salinas being honored with a Transportation Excellence Award from the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.
Part of a worldwide movement:The first Ciclovía or Open Streets originated in Bogotá, Colombia. Ciclovía Salinas is recognized by the Open Streets Project, which shares info about Open Streets initiatives occurring across the U.S. and Canada. Ciclovía Salinas is:
- The 1st Open Streets location in Monterey County
- One of the 1st dozen such locations in California
- One of the 1st one hundred in all of North America
4. HOW IT HAPPENS
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are needed and appreciated. [Note: This info has not been updated for changes due to pandemic.]
To offer your help, contact Ciclovía Salinas (see contact info at top of this page).
There are a wide variety of volunteer tasks. Below are just a few examples.
- Spread the news about Ciclovía Salinas! Invite your family, friends, neighbors, and business associates to attend. Share online what Ciclovía Salinas posts on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Distribute posters, write letters to the editor, or contact Ciclovía Salinas for more ideas.
- Help businesses prepare for an optimal day. Patronize these businesses whenever you can, and let them know you appreciate having Ciclovía Salinas in their neighborhood.
- Be a barricade volunteer (must be age 18 or older). It’s a vital and rewarding job, with raffle prizes for volunteers. Call (831-717-1384) or email Ciclovia Salinas (cicloviasalinas@gmail.com).
- Help with set-up and tear-down.
- Sign up to provide an activity along the route. Perhaps you’d like to teach a dance or fitness class, provide a sports clinic or contest, a musical or artistic performance, or a booth about community resources. Or maybe you have other ideas! Please email cicloviaactivities@gmail.com or call (831) 717-1384; ask for an activities application and the deadline for submitting it.
- Youth interns: Interested? If you live in Salinas and are a student age 13-18 or graduated high school the summer before that year’s event, and you are committed to making positive changes in Salinas, you are probably right for an internship position! Contact Ciclovía Salinas for any changes to the youth internship info here.
5. HISTORY…
including details and acknowledgements about the inaugural Ciclovía Salinas in 2013; photo galleries and more about 2013 and 2014 dates; and posters from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023. (The 2021 date scheduled for October 17, 2021 was cancelled.)
About the inaugural Ciclovía Salinas,
6 October 2013
Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau / See Monterey blog, BlogMonterey.com:
Guest Blog: Ciclovía Salinas, Monterey County’s Open Streets – October 6, 2013
Galleries of photos taken at the inaugural Ciclovia Salinas:
- by Jay Dunn, published in the Salinas Californian, click here
- by Vern Fisher, published in the Monterey County Herald, click here
- by Christopher Lopez, SV Grown Photography, click here
At BikeMonterey.org:
- Ciclovía Salinas Acknowledgements: Sponsors, Volunteers, Publicists, and More
- Thank you, City of Salinas
- Resources for Ciclovía Salinas: Etiquette, Poster, Route, Transportation Tips, and More – Spread the News!
- Ciclovía Salinas, Monterey County’s Open Streets
- Ciclovía Salinas: 10 Ways to Be Part of the Fun
Related posts at BikeMonterey.org:
- Be a Barricade Volunteer for Ciclovía Salinas
- Why Support Ciclovía Salinas? Gregg Brady shares his reasons
- Fun & Free: Ciclovía Salinas on Rejuvenating Healthy Communities
About the second Ciclovía Salinas date,
1 November 2014
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau / See Monterey blog, BlogMonterey.com:
Galleries of photos taken at the second Ciclovia Salinas:
- by Juan Villa, published in the Salinas Californian; click here.
- by Vernon McKnight , published in the Monterey County Herald; click here.
- by Iain Pirie Photography, featured on the Ciclovia Salinas FB page; click here.
- As was acknowledged, the much-needed rain dampened attendance in 2014, but it didn’t dampen the Ciclovía Salinas spirit!
At BikeMonterey.org:
“Nov 1: Ciclovía Salinas, Monterey County’s Open Streets, returns” includes poster, mini fliers, Info Booth locations (get your raffle prize passports there), a 48-second video intro by J. V. Guajardo, and some other details about Nov 1, 2014.
El Sol (en español):
The third Ciclovía Salinas date,
25 October 2015
Ciclovia Salinas 25 Oct 2015 POSTER 1-to-an-8.5 x 11 pg
Ciclovia Salinas 25 Oct 2015 POSTER 2-to-an-8.5 x 11 pg
Ciclovia Salinas 25 Oct 2015 MINI 4-to-an-8.5 x 11 pg
The fourth Ciclovía Salinas date,
9 October 2016
The fifth Ciclovía Salinas date, October 15, 2017
See the preliminary post, and some 2017 videos.
See Bicycling Monterey’s follow-up report, including a photo gallery, “Making the most of every minute: Ciclovía Salinas, Monterey County Open Streets.“
The sixth Ciclovía Salinas date, Sunday, October 7, 2018.
For an audio interview with 2018 youth volunteers, a post-event photo gallery, videos, and more, refer to Bicycling Monterey’s 2018 Ciclovia Salinas post.
The seventh Ciclovía Salinas date, Sunday, October 6, 2019.
The eighth Ciclovía Salinas dates—October 30, October 31, November 1, 2020
About the 2020 Ciclovía Salinas, event posters advisee: “Bring your mask and follow CDC guidelines.” Also note the Monterey County and State of California guidelines.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- State of California: https://covid19.ca.gov
- Monterey County: https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19
The ninth Ciclovía Salinas date, Sunday, March 20, 2022.
The tenth Ciclovía Salinas date, Sunday, October 15, 2023.
The 11th Ciclovía Salinas date, Sunday, October 6, 2024.
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If you’ve found helpful info on the Bicycling Monterey website—or appreciate other Bicycling Monterey projects (e.g., hundreds of hours donated by Bicycling Monterey’s founder in support of the launch of Ciclovia Salinas), consider making a contribution, in any amount; click here. To learn more about the Bicycling Monterey site and projects, and other ways to help see About. Bicycling Monterey is a local ally of the California Bicycle Coalition.
Short link to this page: http://bit.ly/OpenStreetsMRY
https://twitter.com/CicloviaSalinas/status/1315409934633164800?s=20
