LA roads are a thoroughfare for not just cars, but bikes, skateboards, and pedestrians. That’s the perspective pushed forward by CicLAvia, which organizes multiple events and street closures each year.
This Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., CicLAvia will close seven miles of roads to cars. The route goes through Echo Park, Grand Park, Civic Center, Historic Core, Chinatown, Arts District, Little Tokyo, and Boyle Heights. There will be food trucks, water refill stations, bike parking, free basic bike repairs, and more at stops along the route.
“CicLAvia is about connection to each other as people, but also to our neighborhoods and our communities in Los Angeles,” says Romel Pascual, the organization’s executive director. “And you imagine some of the most iconic streets that we drive — imagine them for one day without a car. And it's open for you to participate, ride your bike, walk, run, skateboard, skate, all modes of people-powered mobility. … It's an opportunity … to see your city in a new perspective.”
He adds, “Sometimes I think that CicLAvia and that kind of feeling and spirit and joy that people experience is the new anthem. If there were a new anthem for the city, it would be something that reflects this feeling that we have of the city that we all love.”
LA has more than 120 distinct neighborhoods, and CicLAvia has touched 65-70 of them, Pascual points out. The organization plans to explore a big area in the valley in the coming years.
The goal of CicLAvia is to have these events once a month in 2024, he says.