CicLAvia needs a chance in the SCV

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

Based off the growing popularity of LA’s Ciclavia (100,000 people last week!), I humbly submit yet another plea for a Ciclavia-style event in the SCV:

An embedded Vimeo video appeared here in the original post. View the original — embeds are preserved as links in this archive.

CicLAvia 2011: Los Angelenos Take Back the Streets from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Oh hell there’s nothing humble about it: I demand a Ciclavia event in the SCV. Shut it down. Shut down McBean, Valencia, Magic Mountain, Lyons and Orchard Village for one Sunday every quarter. Shut it down and invite the people out to a rolling carnival in the sun on our streets. Park food trucks, bouncey houses, and -because this is SCV- vendor booths along the route. Get businesses along the entire route involved with special Ciclavia sales and promotions and invite cover bands to host a concert near Town Center Drive, right on McBean. Have little competitions for kids on bikes, skateboards, or roller blades and invite adults to pull down the bicycle from their garage’s rafters and participate.

Streets aren’t just about the movement and temporary storage of cars. They can be much more, as we’ve proven in Old Town Newhall, the yearly Marathons, outdoor concerts, and occasional cycling events. Alternate routes exist for any motorists inconvenienced by the temporary re-purposing of our streets.

My idealistic side wants to believe this could actually be a success in the SCV, that we would flock to such an event and meet people we never would have otherwise met, all the while having fun in a safe and new environment. My cynical side says the stiffs on the City Council would never get it and the resulting flood of complaints from cranky residents would make Noah’s flood look mild in comparison. My damn-the-torpedoes-straight-ahead! side says to do it anyway because that’s how I roll. And I’m not the only one; I know several SCVers who made the trek to downtown LA for an entire day just to participate in CicLAvia.

Comments (7)

Lori RivasApril 19, 2011 at 8:35 am

They’ve done this is Mexico City for years; I read about it in the LA Times a few years ago. Sounds heavenly to me. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/26/world/fg-mexbike26

Capt. GeneApril 19, 2011 at 11:23 am

Yeah, that’s what we need, to be more like Mexico.

Lori RivasApril 19, 2011 at 11:45 am

Are you suggesting that there is nothing of value in Mexico? If one of the most populous, commuter congested cities in the world can work out the logistics, then we Claritans should be able to, also.

Capt. GeneApril 19, 2011 at 12:26 pm

Heavens no, in fact there are probably a few things of value in Mexico, Damiana and Maestro Añejo for example. You can’t find a better value on those two anywhere but in Mexico. That’s about it though.

drydenfireApril 19, 2011 at 8:07 pm

One thing Mexico doesnt have many of – ignorant old white guys with androgynous names. Ole!

Capt. GeneApril 20, 2011 at 5:30 am

That explains why it is the utopian paradise that it is.

maestroniusApril 20, 2011 at 12:53 am

Please, please, don’t turn a discussion of this wonderful event into a Mexico bashing troll fest. For those who are curious, Ciclovia (spanish for bike path) started in Bogota, Columbia in 1976 (35 yrs ago!!) as a rebellion against the huge traffic and pollution problem there. It has since spread all over the world. 20 cities in the U.S have hosted Ciclovia type events, including N.Y., Chicago, and San Francisco. The first L.A. “CicLAvia” event was October last year. There are two more scheduled this year. I have attended both and had a truely amazing time both times. Santa Clarita is very bike friendly. Bike paths, paseos and pedestrian bridges are a fixture here. The Amgen Tour of California’s stop in Santa Clarita is a must attend event. We can do more, though. A ciclovia event would do alot of good. Are you tired of racing in the Valencia 500 on your drive to work every morning? Angry because that giant SUV cut you off? Turn those roads that give us so much stress into something way more fun. Smile at that little girl riding a tiny pink bike with training wheels right down the center of McBean Pkwy! Wave at that neighbor you barely know. Stop into that interesting shop that is normally a blur on the side of the road. Yes, Ciclovia in Santa Clarita could do us alot of good.

Lori RivasApril 19, 2011 at 8:35 am
They’ve done this is Mexico City for years; I read about it in the LA Times a few years ago. Sounds heavenly to me. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/26/world/fg-mexbike26
Capt. GeneApril 19, 2011 at 11:23 am
Yeah, that’s what we need, to be more like Mexico.
Lori RivasApril 19, 2011 at 11:45 am
Are you suggesting that there is nothing of value in Mexico? If one of the most populous, commuter congested cities in the world can work out the logistics, then we Claritans should be able to, also.
Capt. GeneApril 19, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Heavens no, in fact there are probably a few things of value in Mexico, Damiana and Maestro Añejo for example. You can’t find a better value on those two anywhere but in Mexico. That’s about it though.
drydenfireApril 19, 2011 at 8:07 pm
One thing Mexico doesnt have many of – ignorant old white guys with androgynous names. Ole!
Capt. GeneApril 20, 2011 at 5:30 am
That explains why it is the utopian paradise that it is.
maestroniusApril 20, 2011 at 12:53 am
Please, please, don’t turn a discussion of this wonderful event into a Mexico bashing troll fest. For those who are curious, Ciclovia (spanish for bike path) started in Bogota, Columbia in 1976 (35 yrs ago!!) as a rebellion against the huge traffic and pollution problem there. It has since spread all over the world. 20 cities in the U.S have hosted Ciclovia type events, including N.Y., Chicago, and San Francisco. The first L.A. “CicLAvia” event was October last year. There are two more scheduled this year. I have attended both and had a truely amazing time both times. Santa Clarita is very bike friendly. Bike paths, paseos and pedestrian bridges are a fixture here. The Amgen Tour of California’s stop in Santa Clarita is a must attend event. We can do more, though. A ciclovia event would do alot of good. Are you tired of racing in the Valencia 500 on your drive to work every morning? Angry because that giant SUV cut you off? Turn those roads that give us so much stress into something way more fun. Smile at that little girl riding a tiny pink bike with training wheels right down the center of McBean Pkwy! Wave at that neighbor you barely know. Stop into that interesting shop that is normally a blur on the side of the road. Yes, Ciclovia in Santa Clarita could do us alot of good.