September 10, 2016
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
A cyclist pedals down a traffic-free 1300 block of Chestnut Street on Friday, September 25, 2015, ahead of the papal visit.
Not everybody in Philly liked the papal visit, but most sure did seem to like being able to roam the streets free of cars. I mean they really liked it.
Earlier this summer, after a push from locals to hold an open streets event, the city said it would comply. Philadelphia announced that on Sept. 24, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Street would be shut off to cars from Spruce Street Harbor Park on the Delaware River all the way to the South Street Bridge at the Schuylkill River.
On Friday, the city said that after an "overwhelming response" to the upcoming event, the route now extends from the South Street Bridge, onto the Schuylkill River Trail, into Fairmount Park and all the way down Martin Luther King Drive up until the Falls Bridge.
That extension lengthens the route for pedestrians and cyclists from 8.1 miles to about 10 miles.
All along the route will be 50 organizations providing family-friendly entertainment, activities and food.
More info on the first Philly Free Streets event can be found here.
