This fall, Síclovía is headed back to Broadway, and the YMCA of Greater San Antonio is excited to announce a new spin on Síclovía’s traditional route. At the September 28 Síclovía event, attendees can look forward to exploring San Antonio’s flourishing near-east side on a new arm of the route extending off of Broadway down McCullough/Nolan St. to the Dignowity Hill neighborhood.Traditionally referred to as the “Broadway Route”, the route is officially being renamed the Midtown-East Route to better reflect the location of the event.
The Y is proud to work with community partners such as Presenting Sponsor, H-E-B, and Platinum Sponsor, Humana, to bring the event to different areas of the city. This past spring, we took Síclovía to the Southtown/Mission Reach area, which further reinforced the social connectedness and walkability in that vibrant community. This fall, we are adding the extended our traditional Broadway route to the near-east side, increasing the traditional stretch to over 3.25 miles.We are working with various east side organizations to ensure that event offerings reflect the unique character and culture of this historic community.
Síclovía helps our city meet several of the SA2020 goals , one of which is realizing SA2020’s “Health and Fitness” vision of reducing obesity in our community. Over the last two years, the Y has worked closely with UT Health Science Center’s Institute for Health Promotion Research (UTHSC-IHPR) to conduct surveys and evaluations at each event to measure our impact towards meeting this goal. We are pleased to report that 47% of Síclovía participants indicate that they are more active because of the event and 47% state that they have tried a new physical activity because of Síclovía. In addition, 64% of attendees represent communities with high levels of obesity and diabetes, so we know that we are impacting the communities that need us most.
Síclovía began as an organic, grass roots initiative and it has grown in success beyond what anyone expected. We believe this is due in large part to the low impact, friendly and unassuming nature of opening streets to the people and making it safe and fun for participants to enjoy physical activity with their families, friends and pets.
In addition to the fun, family-friendly activities that we typically offer at Siclovia, such as areas exercise demonstrations, hula hooping, sidewalk chalk art, street tennis, pickleball, jump rope and soccer, we will also be adding another exciting element to this fall’s event. Those new to riding bikes can enjoy our “Ride and Learn Zone,” specifically for school age riders to learn how to ride, gain education in bike safety and receive FREE helmets (limited quantities).
One of the growing areas of opportunity for an event this size is ensuring that everyone is following the “Rule of the Road” (see Rules of the Road below). This “Ride and Learn” area will hopefully encourage families to come out with their first timers and take advantage of a safer, smaller more organized space for their children.
We hope to see all of you out at Siclovia on September 28! For more information about Síclovía’s Midtown-East route, visit siclovia.org. Lions Field Park, Alamo Plaza and Dignowity and Lockwood Parks will serve as anchors connecting the city streets that will become temporarily car-free from 10am until 3pm.
Have fun and be safe by following the “Rules of the Road”:
• Keep traffic moving: if you need to stop or stand, please move to a sidewalk
•Faster traffic stay on the center of the route, slower traffic should move to the sides
• Keep pets on a short leash
• Parents, keep young children nearby and in the slow lane
