Every Community Should Promote a CicLAvia Event


Inspired by Bogotá’s weekly ciclovía, CicLAvia temporarily closes streets to car traffic and opens them to Los Angelenos to use as a public park. Free for all, CicLAvia connects communities to each other across an expansive city, creating a safe place to bike, walk, skate, roll, and dance through Los Angeles.

Currently, CicLAvia is a Southern California phenomenon. It has been opening streets across Los Angeles county since 2010. Over 1 million people have experienced CicLAvia. It's the biggest open streets event in the US! Participants represent 80% of the population of the City of Los Angeles.

Other Southern California communities are now promoting CicLAvia events in the San Fernando Valley, Culver City, Venice, Mar Vista, Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown, MacArthur Park, South LA, Echo Park, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights, Historic Downtown, East LA, Pasadena, Pacoima, Arleta, Panorama City, and Southeast Cities.

CicLAvia has five times more people using its temporary park space during event day than are using all of the other parks in the city of Los Angeles combined. CicLAvia has impacted local and regional transportation policy related to pedestrians and bikes. 

CicLAvia improves air quality by reducing ultrafine particles in the air by over 20 percent. And that’s just a start of the benefits in the battle to reduce car traffic and enjoy the other benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

EVERY community throughout the entire country should promote a CAR FREE day similar to what’s happening in southern California. If they can do it, with their massive traffic congestion, ANYBODY can do it. Make it a community fundraiser, part of a health fair, a local holiday. The ideas are endless, as are the benefits.

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