New York, NY —

It was billed as Summer Streets, an effort to clear the road of cars and let bikes and pedestrians take over. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

AUDIO: The sound of near-silence

REPORTER: For about six hours yesterday this is how a 7-mile stretch of Manhattan sounded: no cars, or exhaust, or profanity-laced exchanges between competing cabbies. Just people on bikes, or skates, or strolling in the middle of the road with a cup of coffee. Along the way, there were some oddball entertainments. Including Conductorcise -- in which Maestro David Dworkin led dozens of students through a frantic and physical lesson in conducting.

DWORKIN: Oh, I love the smiles. Good! Watch your posture! Tight stomach! Good, excellent, excellent! I love that smile. You know what she's doing - she's releasing endorphins. Right here on Park Avenue. Good! Aaagh!

REPORTER: There were also hip-hop dance classes, and hopscotch, and 4-square games held on the sidewalks and plazas. But on the streets, thousands turned up, including people who don't even own bikes but rented one along the route. For dedicated cyclists, Summer Streets is a triumph of sorts. Jill Weiss is with the group Transportation Alternatives, which pushed for the event.

WEISS: Just getting to go around the Met Life building and Grand Central, I was going up the ramp before, and I turned to the person next to me. I was like "Isn't this amazing?" and they were like, "Yes!"

REPORTER: But for a few hardcore types, this was also a great day to make a point. Jonathan Beck rode the entire stretch carrying an enormous American flag on a wooden beam.

BECK: I think being patriotic is riding your bike. New Yorkers can make a lot of trips Americans make that don't have to be in cars. Don't have to involve parking in the street. You can make them by bike, make them by foot. Make them by skateboard, and you can go places. It's not as hard as people think.

REPORTER: Judging by the turnout yesterday, Summer Streets is likely to get even bigger. Janette Sadik-Khan is the city commissioner of Transportation.

SADIK-KHAN: I talked to the mayor about if this is successful, and it appears to be, that down the line we would look at potentially extending the hours, extending the days, and looking at different locations and different boroughs. So, stay tuned.

REPORTER: Summer Streets returns next Saturday, and the Saturday after that.

For WNYC, I'm Arun Venugopal.