Originally Posted by
smokingcrayon
But it can be argued that ciclovias are a step forward towards car-free streets by creation of temporary car-free streets.
I agree, it's a long way to go, but a step in a good direction. We just call our temporary events "Car Free Days", and they occur periodically on a few of our more interesting streets:
http://www.carfreevancouver.org/
It's a bit ironic to see people struggling to park near one of those streets during the day, as some people actually drive to the event. Overall though, still a good thing for awareness, and it does seem like the vast majority do get there without their cars, from the few that I've checked out.