Ottawa, Canada

Name – Sunday Bikedays
When it started – August, 2008
Kilometres of road open – 65 kilometres
Participants – 80 000
Organizers – City of Ottawa, Alcatel-Lucent
Unique features – About 65 kilometres of routes through parks and streets free of car traffic open every Sunday morning in the summer between 6am and 1pm for over 30 years.

Ottawa’s Sunday Bikedays, one of the oldest Car Free Sunday programs, has over time evolved to create 65 kilometres of pathways and streets that are open to the public and dedicated to cyclists, skaters, pedestrians and anyone else interested in coming out and taking advantage of the open streets. Every Sunday from May to September thousands of people come out to participate in recreational non-motorized activities along the beautiful Rideau Canal and Ottawa River.

Sunday Bikedays is run by Canada’s National Capital Commission- a federal corporation with the mission to build the Canadian Capital City and Region into a source of pride and unity. The Sunday Bikedays program is tremendously popular among residents and tourists alike and has done much to provide opportunities for recreation in the city.