Mayor joins CicLAvia bikers, skaters taking over Venice Boulevard
As he mounted his bike for the CicLAvia ride to the beach Sunday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took the occasion to remind residents that the city had installed 148 miles of new bike lanes during his two terms.
It is part of a wider plan to make the city less dependent on cars, Villaraigosa said.
“It’s not a walkable city yet, but it’s becoming a walkable city,” he said.
Villaraigosa joined thousands of bike riders Sunday morning to enjoy a rare car-free stretch of Los Angeles streets from downtown to Venice Beach as part of the increasingly popular CicLAvia event. The 15-mile route runs mostly along Venice Boulevard.
More than 100,000 bikers, skaters and pedestrians were expected to participate. The intent, organizers say, is to get Angelenos out of their cars and experiencing the city from a different perspective.
A map of the route showing crossings open to vehicles is at www.CicLAvia.org.
Venice Boulevard will be closed to vehicle traffic in both directions from Alvarado Street to Crenshaw Boulevard. From Crenshaw Boulevard in Mid-City to Grand Boulevard in Venice Beach, Venice Boulevard will be closed to westbound car traffic only.
There are plenty of diversions along the way, including food trucks, DJs, a rock-climbing wall, a marching band and various arts-and-crafts booths.
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