Car Free is the Way to Be

The mayor’s office has created a new YouTube video that showcases CicLAvia’s transformative effect on how we use our streets. The event has helped Angelenos discover that life without a car is not only possible, but preferable. CicLAvia encourages Angelenos to experience their city through alternative forms of transportation–including transit, walking, and bicycling. The next CicLAvia will take place on October 7th, 2012 from 10AM – 3PM. There will be lots to look forward to, including a new route that takes participants into South L.A., Exposition Park, and Chinatown. Be sure to check out CicLAvia’s main site and L.A. Streetsblog for more information on this fall’s CicLAvia event.

Oct 7, 2012 CicLAvia route map

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CicLAvia Video

Here’s our latest video, this time covering last month’s CicLAvia! I apologize for the month delay, I hope the increased production quality makes the wait worth it! I’ve started collaborating with LADOT’s professional videographer, Medgar Parish, who shot all the footage and has been teaching me the ways of Final Cut. I hope you enjoy the video. I think we got some great shots!

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UPDATE: Bicycle Kitchen Fundraiser

UPDATE: The Bicycle Kitchen is accepting donations for another week! They’re currently at 26k let’s get them to 30!

The Bicycle Kitchen is doing a fundraiser to purchase a larger space, and we they’d be hugely appreciative if you donated to help reach their $30,000 goal. If you aren’t already aware of the Bicycle Kitchen, they provide free (donation suggested!) bicycle repair facilities and their volunteers will walk you through how to repair your trusty bicycle. It’s a truly awesome place, born out of pure motivation and a love of all things bicycle. I went down there a few months back to replace a faulty tube, I loved saving myself some money while learning how to fix my two-wheeled companion. If you’ve ever been down there, you’ll notice its always crowded, hence the need for a larger space. I know you’re constantly bombarded with requests to donate, but if you’re a bicyclist in Los Angeles this is guaranteed to be money well spent.

There’s two days left in the fundraiser and they’re about halfway to 30k! Click here to make your contribution!

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LADOT at CicLAvia

Handing out reflector straps and other items at Hollenbeck Park.

Another awesome CicLAvia event is now in the books and we have a lot of fond memories to look back on. We thought we’d take some time to thank  and acknowledge our LADOT co-workers who help make the big day possible. It takes a small army of LADOT staff to make sure that large events like CicLAvia go off without a hitch. LADOT is responsible for managing the logistics of street closures – or in this case, street openings for bicycles and pedestrians.

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TEAM LADOT at CicLAvia

Hello Los Angeles Bike Community. Before we get to the exciting details of CicLAvia I wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself. My name is Kathleen and I am a Urban and Regional Planning Graduate Student at Cal Poly Pomona. I started interning at LADOT’s Bicycle Outreach and Planning Program in January and am glad to be a part of the bicyclist community in L.A. I anticipate that this will be L.A.’s best CicLAvia yet and hope to see everyone participating and enjoying themselves this Sunday.

Angelenos enjoying our city's streets via CicLAvia flickr

The time is here again!!! The first CicLAvia of 2012 will take place on Sunday April 15th from 10AM to 3PM. Enjoy 10 miles of car-free streets through eclectic Los Angeles cultural institutions including the Bicycle District, El Pueblo De Los Angeles, Macarthur Park, Hollenbeck Park, and African American Firefighter Museum, just to name a few. For this spring’s event, CicLAvia has also released an architecture and design guide to highlight buildings, bridges, and street designs along the route! Check it out for yourself and for a detailed map of the route, click here.

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Businesses <3 CicLAvia

A shot from last years CicLAvia event

Mayor Antonio Villraigosa’s Office of Environment, Energy, & Sustainability has produced a video that highlights what local businesses think of CicLAvia – the ever popular event that closes several miles of streets to automobiles and opens them up for bikes and pedestrians, including segments through Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) the last few dates.

The video asks, “What happens when bikes take over the streets of Los Angeles?” A few local businesses provide their own unique perspectives. It turns out that businesses enjoy the event just as much as everyone else does.

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cicLAvia Stories: Share Yours With Us!

LADOT Bike Blog had a great time at cicLAvia this past Sunday.  We were up bright and early downtown to catch the Mayor’s press conference in Little Tokyo, and then we spent much of the day tooling back and forth between Boyle Heights and Koreatown.

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