Tag Archive for: CicLAvia

Road closures in Echo Park for Ciclavia

Ciclavia

For the first time since its start in Los Angeles four years ago, CicLAvia (a free, open streets event in which streets are closed in favor of bicycles and pedestrians) will be coming to Echo Park this Sunday.

The No Parking signs are already posted for the street closures along Glendale Boulevard and Bellevue, just south of Echo Park Lake. At the corner of Glendale and Bellevue is the “Echo Park Hub,” where there will be a DJ, a KPCC booth and food trucks like Fluff Ice, the Grilled Cheese Truck and Mandoline Grill.

Ciclavia will speak Thursday night at the Echo Park Improvement Association Town Hall on the street closures and what else to expect. The major concern with the event is cyclists making their way into Echo Park Lake, where skating and cyclists are not allowed.

The meeting will be held at Barlow Hospital in Williams Hall at 7:00 pm. All are welcome.

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Young Echo Park bicycle activist hits the road

Echo Park student Jackson Huang at CicLAvia (wearing the white shirt and white cap)

Jackson Huang is Echo Park’s newest bicycling activist – at 13 years old (soon to be 14), he’s taken up a cause that will be beneficial to the neighborhood and beyond.

Jackson, who also happens to be our neighbor, gained some notoriety recently with a letter he wrote to Councilmember Ed Reyes (CD1) after his class at Nightingale Middle School in Cypress Park was visited by CicLAvia and Flying Pigeon LA Bike Shop representatives. The visit taught kids about bicycling, including how to fix a flat and stay safe, but also inspired the kids to write letters encouraging politicians to support a new bike plan that would lead directly to the school. Jackson’s letter reads:

The LA City bike Plan of 2010 states that bicycle lanes of Ave 28 and Cypress Ave will be added. The reason why we need bike lanes is because there are kids in this area that are overweight or obese. Kids can get exercise while riding their bikes home and lessening the risk of obesity.

Councilmember Reyes responded (quote via The Eastsider LA):

I grew up riding my bicycle in Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park and agree that bicycle lanes are critical for the health and safety of our neighborhoods. I have been working very hard with City staff and community members like you to ensure that the 2010 Bicycle Plan is implemented as quickly as possible.

Jackson and his bike team were amongst the 100,000 participants in yesterday’s CicLAvia event in Downtown Los Angeles, where the city announced the new Los Angeles Bike-Sharing program, which will allocate 4,000 bicycles to 400 kiosks around the city for everyone with $6 (the daily charge) to use. Even though Ed Reyes’ office hasn’t provided a date when the bike plan will be implemented, Jackson isn’t discouraged, telling us:

I feel like he [Reyes] is doing a great job in helping us get bike lanes and bridge project because it is safer to go on the bridge than going around to get to the LA river route.

And the council wants kids to be safe, right? We’re proud of our young neighbors who are getting involved and taking action!

Check out Jackson’s letter below!

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Taking over the Streets: CicLAvia on Sunday

How many things have you noticed about your neighborhood or other parts of LA when you drove through them, versus what you’ve noticed while walking or biking by?

Now’s your chance to experience parts of Los Angeles like you never have before. Coming up soon on Sunday, October 10 is CicLAvia – a walking/biking event that is closing down some of our Los Angeles roads to give us the opportunity to see and experience the city without any cars.

This event has had huge success outside of the U.S. (it started in Bogotá, Colombia) as well as in San Francisco and Seattle, but this is a first for Los Angeles. The goal of this event isn’t just to close down roads, interrupt traffic, and have an excuse to bike ride – it’s about temporarily reclaiming public space in order for us to “walk, bike, socialize, celebrate, and learn about new cultures and neighborhoods.” It will be a great opportunity to shop some of our local stores, try some new restaurants, and get to share the space with more people. I am looking forward to the event and think it will be a one-of-a-kind experience in Los Angeles when it comes to reclaiming public space.

The event starts in the “bicycle district” on Heliotrope (eg. where the Bicycle Kitchen is) and ends in Hollenbeck Park in East LA.

There will be a few road closures in the Rampart area, and while CicLAvia is new to Los Angeles, Rampart Officers aren’t too concerned about the new event and things should run smoothly. However, in addition to the newbie factor, the difference between this event and the LA Marathon also includes some “breaks” in the route (see above map), and, to be honest, people forget to move their cars on road closure days so there might be a few unhappy people trekking to the impound.

Event-wise, there are group rides planned (including a NELA one from Mt. Washington area), art events, rest stops, food and even yoga throughout the route, so make sure you click here to view the full events map and timeline.

Click here to visit the CicLAvia website to learn more about the event and view route maps.

CicLAvia
October 10 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Route Map | Events/Activities

This also brings to mind what I thought was some kind of old wive’s tale or something – a few years ago a big section of the Pasadena Freeway (that’s the 110 freeway for you newbs) was closed for cyclists and pedestrians for an event called ArroyoFest. You can read more of it from the LA Times blog by clicking here.

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