Open Streets connects residents to their neighborhood's amenities and to one another by providing safe spaces for physically-distanced walking, biking and rolling on city streets. Open Streets are for exercise as well as for traveling to neighborhood restaurants, shops, parks, and more.
In 2020, the City of Eugene piloted the Open Streets program in Bethel from August to September. This year, another trial of the program will take place in the Harlow neighborhood from April 19 to May 18. New this round: the opportunity for residents living on or near the streets to win prizes for using the Open Streets for daily errands such as grocery shopping.
The Open Streets Program was originally developed to further the City of Eugene’s Transportation System Plan goals without drawing large crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harlow Open Streets will explore whether this program can continue to provide community benefit as we move toward a post-pandemic time.