Los Angeles’ CicLAvia initiative opens city streets to bicyclists, pedestrians, skateboarders, and rollerbladers, temporarily transforming the city’s largest public space, its streets, into major active transportation corridors. Initially conceived by a group of volunteers in 2008, CicLAvia will soon hold its 7th annual event. Routes have ranged between 6.3 and 15 miles, with the most recent CicLAvia drawing an estimated crowd of 150,000.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE-NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP
Drawing inspiration from ciclovias in Latin America, a group of volunteers began conceptualizing a Los Angeles version of the event in 2008. After incorporating as a non-profit in 2009, CicLAvia staff visited neighborhood council meetings to build support and demonstrate community interest. With an energized constituency behind them, CicLAvia teamed up with the Mayor’s Office and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to plan logistics for the event. The resulting public-private-nonprofit partnership benefits all stake-holders. The nonprofit sets the overall vision for CicLAvia, holds liability insurance, and fundraisers for the event. Funding stems from a mix of government grants, foundation dollars, and private sponsorships. A private production company manages logistics, graphic design, and staffs the events. The LADOT and the Mayor’s Office coordinate traffic management, permits, and policy.
DESIGN
Route selection for the CicLAvias looks at population density, transit connections, commercial corridors, and destinations such as parks, plazas, or notable buildings. Planners typically avoid streets with steep grades and work with city staff to patch potholes and provide a smooth surface along the designated route. Each CicLAvia tries to use a new route to showcase different neighborhoods in Los Angeles, though staff have also found a benefit to repeating routes, especially as they build relationships with businesses and test more creative ways of engaging with participants.
CicLAvias remain permeable to motorists at designated crossing points, minimizing disruption to the transportation network and reducing the potential for road closures that isolate one half of the city from the other. LADOT’s Special Traffic Operations Division, which handles events, produces a traffic management plan for each CicLAvia, detailing intersection modifications, roundabouts, and other temporary infrastructure designs that will manage the traffic flow of participants and remove conflict points. CicLAvia staff are responsible for implementing the plan from LADOT.
PERMITS
Using the city’s Street Closure Provisions and Application Procedures for guidance, CicLAvia applies for permits before each event. Through a conditional exception, CicLAvia does not need 51% approval from neighbors to close a street, but instead must post an informational flyer to every business and residence along the route in advance of a CicLAvia.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
In advance of every CicLAvia, event staff canvas the route to inform business-owners and residents of the upcoming street closure, including what to expect and how to participate. LADOT policy requires parked cars to be moved from the route for public safety reasons. Prior to each event, CicLAvia staff alert motorists to the parking restriction to avoid cars being towed. Los Angeles Bike Coalition volunteers assist with this large-scale community engagement effort.