DWP Holiday Light Festival: Bike-Free or Car-Free?
The DWP has much to be proud of, not the least of which is the prestigious EcoMoron Award it picked up last year in recognition of its commitment to an auto-centric and bike-free Griffith Park Holiday Festival of Lights.
Tonight, cyclists ride to the Griffith Park Ranger Station to join the Sierra Club, local Neighborhood Councils, Homeowner Associations, Community groups and Equestrians in asking the DWP to lift the ban on bikes and to instead close the Festival to cars, providing pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians the opportunity to enjoy the largest urban wilderness in the country, all without having to sit in idling cars, stuck in gridlock.
Last year, cyclists protested the bike-ban by donning Holiday lights, declaring "We ARE the Festival," and riding through the gridlock to the entertainment and joy of the car-bound children who howled and hooted encouragement.
The DWP Festival of Lights is put on with the cooperation of Councilman Tom LaBonge, the LADOT and the Department of Rec & Parks, none of whom seem willing to challenge the sacred cow that is the Festival of Lights.
Perhaps this will be the year that our leadership sets an example and demonstrates that the best way to enjoy the great outdoors is to go for a walk, hop on a bike or ride a horse.
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Photo courtesy by rossangeles