CicLAvia: Organizers proclaim another success
Organizers of the car-free CicLAvia event proclaimed the latest outing a success.
Thousands of people took to the street Sunday on bicycles, skateboards, and on foot for the event, which spanned six miles of Wilshire Boulevard, from downtown to the Miracle Mile area.
Event spokesman Robert Gard said the event went smoothly, with no serious crashes or public safety incidents, and attendance appeared to be up “significantly” from the last time CicLAvia was held along the Wilshire route last year. He did not yet have an estimate of how many people took part.
“It wasn’t too crowded, but was significantly well used both by pedestrians and cyclists,” he said.
Gard also said the bike traffic was able to flow more freely this time around than during the last ride, in October, which included streets throughout downtown Los Angeles.
“I think last time it was more of a slow and go situation, because the route was almost a spoke route, with lots of turns,” he said. “This was a straight shot.”
Cyclists complained of major congestion on parts of the route during the ride in June that went from downtown to Venice. After that ride, organizers added an extra hour to the beginning and end of the ride, which Gard said helped to spread riders out and alleviated back-ups.
He said organizers expect to release studies of the impacts on businesses along the route and health habits of the riders. A study of businesses along the Wilshire route last year found they reported a 10% overall increase in business on the day of the event, he said.
The next CicLAvia in October will follow a route linking downtown to surrounding neighborhoods, followed by a ride through South Los Angeles in December. Organizers are hoping to expand the number of events, with a goal of holding monthly open-street events by 2017.
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abby.sewell@latimes.com
Twitter: @sewella
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