Advocacy & Safety - Article: Imagine: L.A. bicyclists in the driver's seat, one day a week

From the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-guidefeature5-2009nov05,0,7415001.story?track=rss)

A group called cicLAvia wants to close major L.A. thoroughfares to cars and open them to bicyclists on Sundays. City officials are looking for ways to support the plan, which originated in Colombia...

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I wonder how the implementation will work, and how it's done in Bogota. Will there be car barriers that get erected? But yes, it sounds like a wonderful idea.

What's there not to like?

They should be doing this already.

......City officials are looking for ways to support the plan, which originated in Colombia...

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I wonder how the implementation will work, and how it's done in Bogota. Will there be car barriers that get erected? But yes, it sounds like a wonderful idea.


Colombia loves their cyclists, partly because they usually get King of the Mtns in the tour de France. Going thru the country on my world tour, many times cyclists would join me and ride with me for a few miles, till they got bored with how slow and pokey I was. In the mountains they would 'cheat' on their climbs by grabbing on to the back to a truck...sometimes there'd be five or six getting pulled up a Mtn pass that way.

In the US I have heard some people oppose bicycle paths because they "might be used by drug dealers." In Colombia, I heard they opposed bike paths because they might be used by cops! Ya just can't win.

I love the idea of closing some areas to traffic from time to time. Hopefully LA will do this on a rotating basis around the city so that all residents get to see how much fun it is.

roughstuff

From the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-guidefeature5-2009nov05,0,7415001.story?track=rss)

A group called cicLAvia wants to close major L.A. thoroughfares to cars and open them to bicyclists on Sundays. City officials are looking for ways to support the plan, which originated in Colombia...

----
I wonder how the implementation will work, and how it's done in Bogota. Will there be car barriers that get erected? But yes, it sounds like a wonderful idea.

There was talk of doing the same thing over in Tampa with the LeRoy Selman Expressway. I think that the LeRoy Selman was chosen because it's already closed on Sundays to motor vehicles anyway.

I don't know what has happened with it, but it did sound like a good idea.

It also sounds like an idea that more cities need to investigate.

I saw them do it on on the waterfront in San Francisco last summer, expanded this summer. also the closures of a section of golden gate park every weekend there too.

the public LOVES them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELa5CHsUepo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaKajYv-Ak

"A group called cicLAvia wants to close major L.A. thoroughfares to cars and open them to bicyclists on Sundays."

Are the roads not already open to bicycles?

sounds like a fun plan tho

The cyclists need to use the businesses along any routes that are used. Get those businesses filled with cyclists and they will be clamoring to be on the route.

Sounds cool and fun, although it may cause inconvenience to motorists who want to get to a certain business in the no-car path.

Ironic thing is I once thought this sort of thing was going to happen back in the '70s gas crisis days, back when getting gas was an odd even thing. I figured the next step was one day of no driving or restricted driving. Of course it never came about.

And yet here it is, sort of.

As far as businesses... maybe most of them are closed along the chosen routes. Of course it depends on the business.

Sounds cool and fun, although it may cause inconvenience to motorists who want to get to a certain business in the no-car path.

In Columbia they still had one lane open for motor vehicle traffic. I'm sure that other cities doing this would do the same.

Hmmm - this sounds like a great idea for all major cities to take a look at doing and maybe do it. Here in Omaha it would be great to have a 4 lane road (east/west) closed to allow people to walk/skate/ride...doubt it would happen...but would be neat to have...

I saw them do it on on the waterfront in San Francisco last summer, expanded this summer. also the closures of a section of golden gate park every weekend there too.

the public LOVES them!

The Golden Gate Park road closings have been going on for decades and works great. But it has a few unique things going for it. They close many , not nearly all, of the roads in GGP. For bikes, scaters and walkers it allows many routes, but for cars the loss is minimal, there are alternate routes to any location (or at worst a short walk for the last little bit). Also GGP is a very gradual incline, just enough slope that it is not flat. Makes it interesting, but not difficult for once a month cyclists.

I just can not think of a place that would work out nearly as well in Los Angeles. Perhaps blocking off parts of Riverside Drive near and in Griffith Park. Or as someone here suggested partial closures, still leaving one lane each way for cars.

In a way the LA area already has a few similar areas, but bike paths instead of raods. The Beach Bike path that goes from North of Santa Monica to Palos Verdes, The Sepulveda Flood Control basin bike path and the Whittier Narrows area (this last might lend itself to some road closures to expand things, It is a ways from me and I have not been there in years.

If someone likes the idea, try to think of a site where it can work.

Personally I'd rather they just run a street sweeper through the closed raods in Griffith part once in a while! (Acually it would need more than that to start, rocks everywhere, but it would be a nice place for the car shy to ride some rather neat climbs. But perhaps they are afraid (and perhaps rightfully so) of idiots bombing down the hill as other tack their way up it).

It's cool guys, we got it covered. :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLaZwhuFEMM&feature=related