Pedal power
One of the great laments about Los Angeles is its car-centric culture, and that as we travel to and fro in our private vehicles, soundtracks blaring, we fail to experience the city on a human level or make direct connections, unless we happen to literally crash into one another and are forced to exchange phone numbers and insurance information.
CicLAvia, which started on 10.10.10, kicks that paradigm to the curb. Every few months, the cycling activist organization, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, closes down area streets to car traffic for a day in a select neighborhood. Only bikes, skaters, big wheels, scooters, pedestrians and other non-motorized modes of transport are allowed to traverse the streets. Area businesses, food trucks, dance troupes, artists, and musicians, not to mention cyclists, all contribute to make the day uniquely stellar.
Info
Address Locations throughout Los Angeles; see website for upcoming event details; +1 213.355.8500, www.ciclavia.org, info@ciclavia.org | Public Transport Every CicLAvia route includes at least one Metro train station, often more. | Hours 9am–4pm on event days| Tip Located in the former garage of famed supercharger Distaso Automotive and Dynamometers Specialists, Coco’s Variety (2427 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90039) is an eclectic bicycle retailer and repair shop offering quality new and used bikes (“faded champions reborn for another chance at glory”).
The average bike pace at CicLAvia is at least a third slower than a car would travel on those same streets. Walking takes it down to about 3 mph. Neighborhoods that previously registered as a blur open up into vibrant public spaces with restaurants and shops, spotted with CicLAvia pop-ups like the Mobile Mural Lab, a panel van that serves as a canvas. Paints provided.
Traversing Los Angeles streets without the hazards of motorists grants you the opportunity to look up, feel the wind on your face, and be surrounded by other people doing the same. What might you see? Tall bikes, with their Frankenstein-like double frames, seem to abound at CicLAvia, as do dogs in baskets and sidecars. Stop at one of the many hubs for a chilled beverage, some food, or a hands-on seminar by LA Metro on how to load your ride onto a city bus bike rack.
Whether it be Wilshire Boulevard, the Valley, or the Southeast Cities, each CicLAvia is an opportunity to experience a different part of this complex, sprawling metropolis at its best.
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