Bicycle Sundays are back. Starting Sunday, May 5, both directions of a 6.5-mile stretch of the Bronx River Parkway will be closed to vehicular traffic and turned into a suburban cycling haven.
An annual tradition since 1974, Bicycle Sundays is one of the region’s longest-running recreational programs. Last year, about 60,000 bicyclists, joggers, walkers, scooters and strollers navigated the stretch from the County Center to Scarsdale Road in Yonkers, according to Peter Tartaglia, the deputy commissioner for Westchester County Parks, Recreation and Conservation.
He also noted that the Bronx River Parkway was the earliest parkway to start construction, in 1907.
Bicycle Sundays will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Sunday in May and June, except for May 26. It will pick back up and run at the same time on Sundays in September, except for September 1. There are no Bicycle Sundays events in July or August; this has been the case for about 20 years, because of budgetary concerns and much lower participation during the middle of the summer, when many cyclists are away on vacation, Tartaglia has said.
Tartaglia said the event also helps stimulate the economy for regional restaurants and other small businesses, which benefit from visiting cyclists who stop by to buy breakfast, lunch or other items.
Of course, the cyclists themselves also enjoy the event. The ability to get on and off the parkway at different locations makes Bicycle Sundays equally appealing to families, amateurs and serious bikers, Tartaglia said. It is also appealing to bikers who do not live near the parkway but choose to park their cars in the County Center’s east lot in White Plains for $5.
If you go:
What: Bicycle Sundays
When: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. every Sunday in May, June and September (excluding May 26 and September 1)
Where: Bronx River Parkway between Exit 4 (Scarsdale Road in Yonkers) and Exit 21 (Main Street in White Plains)
Cost: Free to attend; $5 to park a vehicle at the County Center’s east parking lot in White Plains
Info: Call 914-864-7275 or visit online here
Entry and exit points along the Bicycle Sundays route (north to south):
Exit 22: Westchester County Center in White Plains (northern terminus)
Exit 21: Main Street in White Plains
Exit 19: Walworth Crossing in White Plains and Scarsdale
Exit 18: Claremont Road in Scarsdale
Greenacres Avenue: Between Exits 15 and 16 in Scarsdale
Exit 15: Fenimore Road in Scarsdale
Exit 14: Butler Road in Scarsdale
Exit 13: Ogden Road in Scarsdale
Exit 12: Crane Road in Scarsdale
Pipeline Road: Between Exits 11 and 12 in Scarsdale
Exit 11: Ardsley Road
Exit 10: Harney/Strathmore Roads in Eastchester and Yonkers
Exit 9: Leewood Drive in Eastchester
Exit 8 (southbound): Vermont Terrace in Crestwood
Exit 8 (northbound): Thompson Avenue in Crestwood
Exit 6: Read Avenue in Tuckahoe
Exit 4: Scarsdale Road in Yonkers (southern terminus)