The alts took over Queen St. W. just now near the Trinity-Bellwood Park gates (and very close to accused bicycle thief Igor Kenk's old digs).

The occasion? Car-Free Day in Toronto -- a time to make the streets a place for people and not automobiles.

As I passed through, the crowd -- led by Michael J, the gypsy jazz-singing bartender from the Communist's Daughter at Dundas and Ossington -- took to the streets en masse.

When I'd walked through earlier, a kickin' band was playing -- with the PA system powered by harnessing the power of stationary cyclists -- and neo-hippie gals were dancing.

Some people and businesses fed the meter and used the space for ... whatever. Playing the piano, lying down and reading a book.

But in general, it was the alts doing and the mainstreamers watching.

And in a city of 2.5 million, there were maybe a few hundred gathered (lots of people out with cameras and recorders, so check Flickr and YouTube later. This blog post has some pix).

However, many people cycle in these parts, and it only makes sense. Cars and downtown are a bad mix. If all you're doing is driving to work, parking your car for eight hours and going home again, take transit.

As an aside, I sold my vehicle on Car-Free Day (a coincidence, I assure you) six years ago and haven't looked back. However, I've always lived in central neighbourhoods. If I lived in the burbs, it would become considerably more difficult. And central neighbourhoods are becoming progressively more expensive.

It would be nice to hear the stories of people in suburbia who have made the choice to live without a car and stuck with it, considering the many obstacles (low population density, no bike lanes [combined with motorists who have never encountered a cyclist], almost nothing within walking distance) facing them out there.