The elevated Minhocão, or “big worm,” expressway was cut through central São Paulo in 1971. A municipal ordinance enacted in 1990 turned 2.7 kilomtres of the highway over to pedestrians and cyclists in the evenings and on Sundays. A proposal to permanently cover the roadbed with a pedestrian promenade is now being considered. Pedestrian traffic has transformed the economy of neighbourhoods along the highway.