A two-mile stretch of road was closed to vehicles yesterday afternoon for Louisville's first CycLOUvia. The event was inspired by a similar one called Ciclovia in Bogota, Colombia, where streets are closed to traffic every Sunday to encourage walking and biking.Hundreds showed up to walk, bike, skateboard, hula hoop, rollerblade and dance along Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue from Douglass Boulevard to Broadway. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer made the rounds, asking participants whether they'd like to see similar events in the future, and asking shop owners how CycLOUvia was affecting their business. Volunteers were also conducting surveys, soliciting opinions on whether the event should happen again.Mayor's spokesman Chris Poynter says Fischer thought the event was a huge success, and was amazed by the turnout. "Based on the success yesterday, we're definitely going to do this again," Poynter said. He added that the city would like to take the event to other parts of town, too. Details like how often and where CycLOUvia will happen haven't been decided yet.Sunday's event cost more than $15,000, $3,000 of which was donations raised through a Kickstarter campaign. About $10,000 came from federal grants that are designated to go toward causes that improve air quality, and Councilman Tom Owen contributed $2,500.
