GObike Buffalo has announced that its most anticipated event of the year – The SkyRide – is now open for registration. This incredible undertaking and monumental event involves cyclists touring the city streets, before traversing The Skyway. It’s one of those Buffalo moments that has to be experienced to be truly appreciated. The culmination of the SkyRide is a celebration of the city’s past, present, and future.
The SkyRide is in place to show the importance of cycling (green-alt transportation) in a city. It’s an exercise in placemaking, demonstrating that there are better uses for highways, which have disrupted our waterfront, our Olmsted Park system, and even divided our city into two distinct areas – the East Side and the West Side. These highways are – the Skyway, Scajaquada Expressway, and the Kensington Expressway. Maybe next year we can add the 190 along the Niagara River? It is interesting to note that in a recent Building Blocks series on Buffalo Rising, each of the three initial interviewees pointed out that the removal of expressways is a critical component of this city’s recovery – see Anthony Caferro, Rahwa Ghirmatzion, and Kevin Garder.
2019 brings some new and exciting advancements to The SkyRide. From GObike Buffalo:
Kids allowed: We’re excited to allow riders age 10 and up on all routes with an accompanying adult. Kids under 10 will also be allowed if harnessed to an adult via child seat or trailer.
Three routes: Routes this year include a 10-mile Skyway-Only Loop, the new 11-mile Kensington/Scajaquada Loop (Route 33 and 198) and 18-mile Full Loop (Skyway/Kensington/Scajaquada [Route 5, 33 and 198]).
Pop-up art installations: GObike Buffalo will be working with local artists to include music, visuals and temporary art installations along the route to activate the spaces and tell the story of our parkway revival movement throughout the decades.
Parkway revival events: Before and after the SkyRide, GObike Buffalo will be hosting two Slow Rolls with opportunities to learn more about community-led parkway revival initiatives underway.
- Monday, May 13, at 6:30pm, from the Buffalo Museum of Science—in collaboration with the Restore Our Community Coalition, a group of concerned citizens and organizations who aim to remediate the devastation and civic injustice caused by the construction of Route 33.
- Monday, May 20, at 6:30pm, from the Buffalo History Museum—in collaboration with the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition, an advocacy group working to right-size the Scajaquada Expressway to promote, preserve and restore intermodal transportation within Delaware Park, enhance the park by reuniting the Meadow with Hoyt Lake; and enhance the adjacent parkways to provide quality park experiences for current and future generations.
The event will be held on Sunday, May 19, at 9 am, starting in LaSalle Park.
Registration is open! Visit skyridebuffalo.org to register and find more information.