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Ciclavia in Los Angeles—Sunday April 15

Join the FOURTH CicLAvia on Sunday, April 15th. It’s free. Police close many miles of L.A. streets to motor vehicle traffic along the CicLAvia route from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm. Tens of thousands of cyclists and walkers and joggers participate. There’s no start or finish… go anywhere and any direction along the route (click on the map)… and be sure to stop at any of the hundreds of outdoor cafés along the route to sit and chat with friends and enjoy the delicious quiet of a non-motorized streetscape. This is Los Angeles in our favorite dreams!

Inspired by Bogotá, Colombia’s Ciclovía—the original, weekly street closure event—CicLAvia opens Los Angeles streets to pedestrians and bicyclists, creating a temporary web of public space on which all of us can walk, bike, socialize and celebrate. On the 15th of April 2012, ten miles of L.A. roadways will temporarily close to car traffic and open for recreational purposes. From Boyle Heights to Downtown, and past MacArthur Park to East Hollywood, also north to El Pueblo/Olvera Street, and south as well, CicLAvia encourages us to make active use of our streets… and rediscover roadways and neighborhoods that, in a car, too often go unnoticed.

From Long Beach on bicycle, an easy way to get there is to board any northbound Blue Line Metro train, deboarding at the Washington Station or at any station beyond that. For more details, check out www.ciclavia.org.

Snaps of Cyclavia Nine-Ten-Eleven

Cyclists Donald and Sarah Moore share snapshots of fellow cyclists taken during the recent CycLAvia. L.A.’s third CycLAvia took place on 9/10/11 (the 9th of October of 2011).

CycLAvia is about celebrating Los Angeles in a non-motorized way. A route of city streets that runs past Los Angeles City Hall is closed to motorized traffic for five hours. Many tens of thousands of cyclists and joggers and walkers enjoy the pleasant quiet of city streets that every other day are noisy and dusty from all the cars, trucks and buses. Don’t miss the next CycLAvia… scheduled for April 12th, 2012.

Thank you Donald and Sarah for sharing the following photos.

Ciclavia in L.A.—Sunday Oct 9

Free open streets for walking and bicycling!

¡Calles abiertas a los peatones y ciclistas! ¡Gratis!

An expanded route of Los Angeles streets will be closed to motorized traffic Sunday, October 9th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The Los Angeles CicLAvia means free, family-friendly cycling, jogging, and strolling through downtown L.A.  (This will be L.A.’s third one!) People from far and wide will be there, including many friends from Long Beach.

CicLAvia is not a race. It’s a fun opportunity to enjoy L.A. on your bicycle or on foot… without the noise and fumes of nearby vehicle traffic!

Click on the map to enlarge it on your screen.

The route T’s at L.A. City Hall. From there you can head west to the Bicycle Kitchen (northwest of MacArthur Park)… and/or east to Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights… and/or north to Chinatown… and/or south to the African American Firefighter Museum near the 10 freeway. You can start anywhere along the route. You can head in any direction.

You can stop anywhere you like. There are rest hubs at the four end points and also at MacArthur Park and close to City Hall. You’re sure to come across friends or discover a new, favorite café.

To get to L.A. from Long Beach, it’s easy and inexpensive to board any northbound Blue Line train. The one-way fare (including bicycle) is just $1.50.

For more information, go to www.cicLAvia.org, or contact info@cicLAvia.org.

CicLAvía—City streets closed to motorized traffic

The second Los Angeles CicLAvía took place on April 10th. Click on photos to enlarge them.

During five hours, a 7-mile route running through downtown Los Angeles was closed off to motorized traffic. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, more than 100-thousand cyclists, skaters and joggers enjoyed the free event. Don’t miss the next CicLAvía!

The route ran east or west through downtown L.A.  Cyclists could go either direction and back and forth. The route led through Little Tokyo… across the 4th Street Bridge… as far east as Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. The route also led through an amazing stretch of downtown skyscrapers and intensity… past MacArthur Park… as far west as the Bicycle Kitchen close to Melrose and the 101.

The absence of motorized traffic makes for a delightful city experience; happy chatting and laughter rather than roaring engines and fumes. We saw cyclists of all ages and skill levels. There were numerous cafés along the route, so it was easy to find a perfect place to sit outside for lunch and to soak in the delightful spectacle. Wow!

Along the route, we saw numerous friends from Long Beach, and no doubt missed many more of you who were there as well.

In photos to the right, Bernard of Cyclone Coasters in Long Beach says hello to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

To the left, hello Scott and Jessica. Hello Stacie. Many friends and new friends.

CicLAvia — Sunday, April 10th

A route of Los Angeles streets will be closed to motorized traffic Sunday, April 10th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The Los Angeles CicLAvia means free, family-friendly cycling, jogging, and strolling through downtown L.A.  (This will be L.A.’s second one!) CicLAvia is not a race. It’s a fun opportunity to enjoy L.A. on your bicycle! The route takes you past L.A. City Hall, heading west to the Bicycle Kitchen (northwest of MacArthur Park)… or east to Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. You can start anywhere along the route. You can head in either direction. You can stop anywhere you like. You’re sure to come across friends or discover a new, favorite café.

Many folks from the Long Beach area will head up to L.A. on the Metro Blue Line, timing themselves to arrive in L.A. by about 10:00 am. Click on the map to see route specifics.

For more information, go to www.cicLAvia.org, or contact info@cicLAvia.org.

Allan is on the Streets4Feet video

Many of us enjoy Allan Alessio’s company and are inspired by his enthusiasm. Allan is a dedicated cycling advocate—active in Long Beach AND in Los Angeles. Also, he organizes great rides… and he’s fun to talk with. It’s no exaggeration that Allan is seen cycling EVERYWHERE around southern California.

You can hear Allan and Stephen Vallavaso of CicLAvia talk about the recent “Street for Feet” project that took place in Hollywood. (It is clear that no neighborhood is too far away for urban cyclists!) Click CicLAvia… to see the September 19th post about Streets4Feet, and to link to the YouTube video. And keep your eyes open for Allan. Where will we see him next?!!!

CicLAvia Ride through Los Angeles on 10-10-10

The 10th of October… 10-10-10, is a GREAT day for a bike ride! CicLAvia means the City of Los Angeles closes more than seven miles of roads to motorized traffic. It lasts from 10 am to 3 pm.—five hours of easy, urban cycling! This isn’t a race. There’s no fee to participate. Just show up on your bike and enjoy!

Head up to Los Angeles—perhaps take the Blue Line Metro to get to the downtown area—then join the fun. (A number of Long Beach Cyclists will depart from Long Beach Transit Mall aboard the Blue Line at 8:30 am, aiming to meet up with friends in L.A. from the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition so that a larger group of us can ride together. Accompany us or meet us there!) You can cycle CicLAvia in either direction. The route runs through downtown L.A.  To the west, the route reaches to the Bicycle Kitchen in East Hollywood. To the east, the route reaches to Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. Just think: No cars to deal with except at a relatively small number of intersections. See CicLAvia.wordpress.com for more information. Click on the map on the right to have a look at route specifics.

The ciclovía (see-clo-VEE-uh) concept is popular in numerous Latin American countries and in Europe. For example, Ecuadorian cyclists enjoy a fantastic circuit across Quito, the capital city… ONCE A WEEK throughout the year! Let’s be glad this ciclovía is L.A.’s first one, and hope it’s not L.A.’s last one!

lots goin’ on this weekend

you may have read Lee’s post about the BEERide already. if you haven’t, check this ish out: Oktoberfest Beeride. the fantasticalness happens Saturday, October 9th from 9a through 1a Sunday.

perhaps beer’s not your thing for a saturday. perhaps you’re more into the art scene? well, this Saturday, the 9th, is also the East Village’s 2nd Saturday Art Walk. and for this month Phantom Galleries will be opening 3 new spaces while having 9 openings starting at 6p.

maybe you’re thinking, “y’know.. downtown long beach is a li’l too close. i really wanna get out of town and go for a long ride. but i still wanna check out some fantastic bike related art.” well we have just the event for you! there’s a new location for UCR’s Sweeny Art Gallery and they’re celebrating with an exhibition which explores the effects of bicycles on art and culture. the fun starts Thursday, Oct 7th. “woah.. wait. Riverside? how do i get out there?” glad you asked, here’s the plan: the metrolink 404 leaves from LA’s Union Station at 4.14p and costs $11.75. there are other trains if you can’t make that specific train. once there, the group will be taking in the art and a bit of riverside before heading back to downtown LA via bicycle at 12a. the distance is about 50 miles and should bring you to LA by 5a. you interested? give Allen a call for more information: 562 673 0643.

have old vintage bikes you need parts for? come out to Cyclone Coaster‘s 5th annual Vintage Bicycle Swap Meet this Sunday, October 10th. it goes from 7-10.30a. space, admission & parking are free!

and finally, let us not forget about LA’s grand opening of their first-ever CicLAvia! the plan for this one is to meet up at the downtown LB transit mall blue line station at 8.20a—in time to catch the 8.35a train—exit in LA, bike to Hollenbeck Park and meet up with a bunch of LACBC folk for a tour of the CicLAvia route starting at 10a.

but wait, a final final: Long Beach Cyclists’ general meeting this wednesday (Oct 6th), 7.17p at Polly’s Gourmet Coffee Shop in Belmont Shore. go to our Events page for more information.



ps. sorry, Lee, for pushing your post down so soon…

LA announces CA’s first-ever CicLAvia

So we Southern Californians are finally catching up to South America!

At 9:00a on Wed, Sep 22 on the South Steps of City Hall Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with some other city folk and cyclists, will announce the route for LAs first-ever CicLAvia.

The new CicLAvia is a temporary public space along 7.5 miles in LA, stretching from Heliotrope & Melrose in East Hollywood to 1st & St Louis in Boyle Heights, to promote cycling and walking in the fair city. A collaboration between the City of Los Angeles, CicLAvia, and the cycling community, this new facility hopes to encourage healthy, active transportation and connect communities.

Ciclovías started over 30 yrs ago in Bogotá, Colombia, to answer the congestion and pollution of the city. And we’re just now getting our own..

The real fun stuff will take place on Sunday, October 10, 2010 from 10:00a to 3:00p when the CicLAvia opens to the public for actual use.

Hurray to a more bikeable Southern California!

photograph courtesy of La Vida Es Loca