Roland Park Ciclovia Set to Roll On

Despite some squabbles with the city regarding the costs of permits, the fourth Roland Park Ciclovia is scheduled to be held on Oct. 23.

The event, which promotes exercise and socialization by closing down Roland Avenue to allow residents to bike, run and walk, was originally . That event was called off because of issues with Baltimore City regarding permits.

Initially, the Ciclovia’s organizers wanted to extend the route on Roland Avenue from Northern Parkway across Cold Spring Lane to Keswick Avenue. But the city wanted to charge between $7,000 and $8,000 for permits to extend the route, said Mike McQuestion, one of the event organizers.

“It took us a long time to fix the routes because of the uncertainty of the cost,” McQuestion said.

McQuestion said he and the other organizers scaled back plans to expand the route and will keep the Ciclovia limited to the Roland Avenue’s southbound lane between Northern Parkway and Cold Spring Lane. He said Roland Park would again be footing the bill for permits, which will run between $2,000 and $3,000.

Because the route couldn't be expanded, McQuestion said there will be more focus on activities. He said there will be live music, kids' events, and Eddie’s of Roland Park Supermarket will also be selling food.

This will also be the first time the neighborhood will hold two Ciclovia events in one year. The last one was held in May.

McQuestion, who also serves on Bmore Streets for People, said the  group will use the event to try and spread Ciclovia’s to other neighborhoods. He said there will be 20 community leaders from all over the city to see how Roland Park puts on its ciclovia.

Bmore Streets for People will also be making a presentation for interested communities at the Greater Homewood Community Corporation on Oct. 13 about how to organize and put on their own ciclovias.