August 10, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Fresh off of the tremendously successful CicLAvia – Culver City Meets Venice route which saw tens of thousands of people bike, walk and have fun from downtown Culver City to the Pacific Ocean, CicLAvia is pleased to announce its final route of 2015.
CicLAvia - Heart of LA will celebrate what has become a Los Angeles institution on October 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a fifth-year anniversary route. CicLAvia began as an idea with an uncertain outcome when it first removed cars from the streets of downtown Los Angeles on October 10, 2010. Now, five years, fourteen events and one million participants later, CicLAvia is the largest open streets event in North America.
Heart of LA will have six miles for participants to explore by bike, foot, skateboard, wheelchair and other non-motorized transportation. The route will take people through Boyle Heights, the Arts District, Little Tokyo, Civic Center, Chinatown, Historic Core and as far west as MacArthur Park.
“As CicLAvia has transformed streets and gained popularity, so too has downtown Los Angeles. Grand Park was still in development when the first CicLAvia took place,” said CicLAvia Executive Director Aaron Paley. “Our annual return to the Heart of LA allows us to showcase the great steps the City of Los Angeles has made to create a more pedestrian and bike friendly livable district. CicLAvia loves to show just how easy it is to navigate the area without a car.”
"Open Streets programs like CicLAvia reconfigure our busiest corridors so our communities come together in innovative ways," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "Our streets are converted into public spaces longer than Central Park – and I'm proud to support its continued rollout so more Angelenos can experience our great city carless."
“With its sea of humanity participation, CicLAvia represents Los Angeles’ evolving bicycle and pedestrian policy in action," said Councilmember José Huizar. “Whether we’re increasing parklets, plazas and bike corrals or adopting a new Mobility Plan that brings complete streets solutions to increasing safety and reducing the number of automobiles on our roadways, we can thank CicLAvia for showing us that the future is now. And I am so pleased to welcome CicLAvia back to DTLA and Boyle Heights, two of Los Angeles’ truly great neighborhoods. I encourage participants to stop along the route and visit some of the fantastic businesses in both neighborhoods.”
There will be four CicLAvia hubs on the route – Boyle Heights, Grand Park, Chinatown and Macarthur Park – that will offer CicLAvia information and merchandise, bike parking and bike repair, free water, restrooms and first aid stations. Each hub will also have activities, sponsor booths and more. Participants may pick up CicLAvia’s specially created Heart of LA neighborhood guide and activities fliers at the information booths.
CicLAvia – Heart of LA marks the first time CicLAvia has produced four events in a calendar year and is the sixth CicLAvia event produced since October 2014. Next year, CicLAvia will return with three new routes, as well as the return to the Heart of LA in October 2016.
Since the first CicLAvia event, million people have enjoyed 103 miles of car-free Los Angeles County streets in a fun and transformative way. CicLAvia allows people to explore the region by foot, bike, skates, and other non-motorized means of transportation, and connect with diverse communities, businesses, healthy activities and each other in a way that isn’t possible by car.
About CicLAvia
CicLAvia is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. CicLAvia catalyzes vibrant public spaces, active transportation and good health through car-free streets. CicLAvia engages with people to transform our relationship with our communities and with each other. With the full support of Metro, local governments, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council, Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Transportation, the Department of Water and Power, and the Department of Parks and Recreation, CicLAvia is an innovative model for creating new public space and enriching civic life.
Partners include Metro, the City of Los Angeles, the Wasserman Foundation and an Anonymous benefactor. Supporters include the Annenberg Foundation, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Rosenthal Family Foundation, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Durfee Foundation and LA 2050. Sponsors include Cirque du Soleil, Los Angeles County Department of Water and Power, David Bohnett Foundation, Roth Family Foundation, Southern California Gas Company, Tern Bicycles, Indie Printing, and Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Media Sponsors include LA Times, Laemmle Theatres and Time Out Los Angeles.
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