CicLAvia Is Back. Ditch Your Car And Enjoy South LA On Open Streets

We know a place where no cars go: South Los Angeles next weekend for the first CicLAvia event of 2022.

On Sunday, July 10, the free open streets event will close off three miles of Western Avenue to car traffic, allowing people to ride bikes, skateboards and other “people-powered vehicles” to explore South L.A. neighborhoods. The event starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

The route runs north-south from Exposition Boulevard to Florence Avenue. Three hubs will be set up along the route, with a variety of booths and activities.

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By turning “public streets into public parks for a day,” organizers say CicLAvia allows people to experience free, inclusive mobility without the safety and environmental hazards cars bring to public streets. Since the inaugural event in 2010, they estimate 2 million people have taken part.

“CicLAvia entices people to go places they never visited or always wanted to,” organizers wrote in a press release. “Metro ridership increases 30% during CicLAvia, with some riders taking trains and buses for the first time. CicLAvia happens with communities — not to communities.”

Motorized vehicles such as electric scooters, hoverboards and motorcycles are not allowed, though people with disabilities are able to use their motorized wheelchairs or other related devices. E-bikes are allowed, but there are some specific rules in place for them.

Affected streets will start being closed off to cars as early as 6 a.m. Sunday and are expected to reopen at 6 p.m.

East-west car traffic will still be able to cross Western at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, as well as Vernon, Slauson and Gage avenues (though they’ll have to wait to be let through by workers directing traffic).

Some bus routes will have detours July 10 due to the event.

If you’re looking for ways to get to the car-free route without using your car to get there, public transit is an option. Metro’s E (Expo) Line can get you right to the event, since the Exposition hub is next to Metro’s Expo/Western Station. You can check out CicLAvia’s website to learn about other options to get to and from the event.

Can’t make it next Sunday? CicLAvia is planning three more events later this year:

• “Meet the Hollywoods” on August 21
• “Heart of LA” on Oct. 9
• South L.A. again on Dec. 4