Bright, cheery, and very "green" progress has been made transforming triangular intersection in Silver Lake into a polka-dotted pedestrian plaza. Sunday, city workers were there with the vibrant paint (Grape Green and Lemon Grass, The Eastsider LA tells us) to further the creation of what is officially known as Sunset Triangle Plaza. more ›

In July, we brought you a map of the proposed map of CicLAvia event, which back then was scheduled for this month. It's now on for October 10th, the same day Santa Monica is looking to do it, and a new map has been released. more ›

If you were to design a city, how would you do it? And what would you make if your design proposal was made from a mishmash of toy blocks and other abstract colorful small pieces of plastic and wood? To retired Metro planner and current co-chair of railLA James Rojas, this is an approach urban planners should take when taking on a project. more ›

There's been a more aggressive Beyond Coal movement going on in L.A. this year and this month, news comes of a Beyond Cars one. At LA Beyond Cars: A Global Perspective on Rail and Space exhibit at The Jewel Box in downtown, a party will be held on August 18th where organizers are challenging attendees to use alternative transportation. more ›

“The more I explore my home ground, the more it comes alive, and I have to put to rest the illusion that I am limiting myself by doing so. Everything we need to be happy really is near at hand," Kurt Hoelting wrote in his book "The Circumference of Home." Taking cue from that, L.A.'s daily eco e-mail service Your Daily Thread recently published a nice guide to keeping it local and car free (they include zip lining on relatively car-free Catalina Island). Here at LAist, we couldn't agree more with Hoelting and YDT. The region is rife with opportunities of exploration. From urban hiking on hundreds of local and hidden staircases to traveling to Santa Barbara car-free, the list could go on. What's your favorite car-free vacation? more ›

While people are hoping for the arrival of Ciclovía (that's seek - low - VEE - uh) here in Los Angeles, San Francisco today announced its 2010 Sunday Streets schedule, which takes place along different thoroughfares throughout the year. SFist explains: "Sunday Streets, for those of you who don't know, is a day when a main thoroughfare in SF closes off to vehicle traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists are then welcome to stroll freely in these areas with little fuss and/or muss from Mini Coopers and Priuses whizzing by." more ›

For those who drive and for those who don't, Diane Meyer's photography exhibit at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica will fascinate all who ever traveled the thousands of streets in the Los Angeles. But foreign to many is the life without a car and traveled by foot, bicycle and public transit. more ›

As part of the large car-free photography exhibit at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, a series of panels are being run in conjnction. Tonight at 6 p.m. Green LA Girl and others will discuss how to live a car-less or car-free lifestyle. Then at 7 p.m. a panel discussion with D.J. Waldie will explore the social, spatial, and psychological aspects of walking in Los Angeles. more ›

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Los Angeles last week and took a tour of the Gold Line Eastside Extension, which is expected to open soon (no date had been announced, though). The line will run between Union Station and East LA. "This whole rail line is way ahead what we are talking about in Washington," exclaimed LaHood. "This is what we mean by livable communities. You build it and they will come." more ›

Today is the first Car Free Friday, a day to encourage bike commuting and hopefully convince people that the option is not that bad at all. Councilman Eric Garcetti helped the event gain media attnention by riding from the Hollywood/Western Subway station to City Hall with around sixty bicyclists. “Riding your bike on Car-Free Fridays is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment and get a work out at the same time,” Garcetti reportedly said via Damien Newton at Streetsblog LA, who give us this eco-nugget fact of love: "Riding a bicycle for just 10 miles a week can save at least $520 a year, shed calories, work to reduce California's emissions from cars and light trucks..." Car Free Fridays will continue on the last Friday of every month. more ›

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. more ›

If all goes well, Assemblyman Mike Feuer's bill, AB 2321, will let Metro and local officials "go to the ballot in November to ask voters to consider a half-penny sales tax hike. That would raise at least $720 million annually in a county with a long, long list of needs," according to LA Times' Road Sage Steve Hymon wrote today. more ›

Simon Pastucha is the kind of city government employee Los Angeles needs more of. Why? He walks the talk and the Daily News tagged along for a day of his car-free, public transportation life. The Pasadena resident is an urban designer and planner at the Urban Design Studio, a two-person office charged with making the city a more community oriented, walkable and people friendly one. With his salary, Pastucha used to lease a Mercedes... more ›

About the above photo: Painting by local artist John Schlue who will be showcasing his newest work at Truxtop Gallery with the opening reception on Friday Sept 7th. The International Space Station, Jupiter, Mars, Venus all viewable from LA this week according to today's release of the The Griffith Observatory Sky Report. 274 homicides so far this 2007. LAPD released the latest crime statistics today showing that violent and property crime is down compared... more ›

Guest Day Editor Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site. MetroRiderLA promotes what I call the "Los Angeles Public Transit Lifestyle" (it's not really trade marked, feel free to use those words in anyway you please). The idea behind the Public Transit Lifestyle goes something like this (from the website): "The implication is simply that the citizens... more ›

As Guest Day Editor, Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA, will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout today. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site. Your mission: get to there, from anywhere, without a car. I know LAist loves them some Dodgers. You know what, I loves me some Dodgers too. A Dodgers game is always a good time, and with my recent discovery of the footlong Dodger Dog corn dogs, you... more ›

As Guest Day Editor, Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA, will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout today. Read his introductory interview here and check out his site. Last weekend, the LA Times had a commentary piece by Michael Balter wherein he proposed the "radical" idea of forgoing the subway-to-the-sea (claiming its construction to be unlikely) and instead changing the entirety of Wilshire Boulevard into a car-free bike, pedestrian, bus, and light-rail thoroughfare. Clearly... more ›

Citing high costs, length of time to build and other basic realities of building the "subway to the sea," Michael Balter calls for Wilshire Blvd. to be car free today in the LA Times opinion section: First, ban all automobiles from the entire 15-mile length of the boulevard. Second, beginning at its Western Avenue station, bring the Metro Rail to street level and run it to and from the sea on two sets of... more ›

It was last Thursday. A trip to Echo Park, car free. The 750 Rapid down Ventura Blvd. to the Universal Red Line Station. Take the Red Line, get off at MacArthur Park, and take the 200 down Alvarado to Sunset. It was rush hour and both buses were packed to the brim. Now that the consent decree is no longer in effect, will this be the sign of the times? Does this brand of... more ›