HTLA Episode 44: Taking Back LA's Streets with CicLAvia

Brian De Los Santos  00:00

[CicLAvia ambi] [music in background] From LAist Studios, this is How To LA. Today the team is out here in South LA for CicLAvia. It's an event that happens every couple months, where several miles of city streets are closed to car traffic. People are out here on bikes, skateboards. Everyone's kinda just bumping different types of music on their portable speakers. There was even a guy peddling some kind of hammock bicycle thing. And this event is mad cute. There are families, crews of friends, tons of vendor tents, nonprofits...

Aaricka Washington  00:38

They have food trucks. People of all ages out here.

Brian De Los Santos  00:42

My team and I are all here.

Aaricka Washington  00:44

It's foggy and cloudy, but people are outside getting some exercise. That's all that matters.

Brian De Los Santos  00:51

None of us have really ever been to CicLAvia before, so we wanted to see what it's all about.

Brian De Los Santos  00:56

Are those horses? This is a scene. [music booms in background] I am trying to get a scooter because I don't have a bike or skates or anything else. So I'm trying to sign... [duck under]

Brian De Los Santos  01:06

We're on MLK and Figueroa heading towards Vermont. [bell rings] I'm on my Bird scooter.

Brian De Los Santos  01:07

Okay. Oh, yay!

Brian De Los Santos  01:08

Aaricka, our newsletter writer, is on her skates.

Aaricka Washington  01:13

My purple suede skates.

Brian De Los Santos  01:15

We're skating over there?

Aaricka Washington  01:16

Yeah. [Brian in background: Okay.]

Brian De Los Santos  01:17

There's a ton of people in the streets. [ambi fades out] But one of the first things you notice out here is how easy it is to navigate at all. Bikes, skates, rolling hammocks. Everyone is just weaving through the streets in this perfect dance. If you've ever seen those viral TikToks of bicycles and pedestrians flowing perfectly through crowded city streets in Amsterdam, well, it's kind of like that. [sound of bells and people talking] Aaricka's gonna have a bunch of photos from CicLAvia in the How To LA newsletter. Check it out and subscribe @LAist.com/HowToLA. [music in] There's all these tents for different types of nonprofits. A bike repair tent with a massive line. Even the Natural History Museum is here with a big mobile archaeology exhibit for kids.

Brian De Los Santos  02:02

Is this your first CicLAvia?

Kim  02:03

Yeah. My husband, my son. Yeah, our first experience. We love it. I didn't want to come but then after I came, it's so exciting that I'm like, next year I'll come again. [laughs] My name is Kim.

Brian De Los Santos  02:17

Do you live around here?

Kim  02:18

Yeah, we live in Monterey Park. [Brian: Oh, cool!] My husband did it before and he said it was so fun. He kind of convinced me and my son to go.

Paul  02:25

My name is Paul.

Kim  02:26

Sammy, come here!

Paul  02:26

Go say 'Hi!'

Kim  02:26

Say 'Hi!' [Brian in background: Hiiii!] Say my name is Sam.

Paul  02:30

I've been doing this a long time. I love cycling. When it first started early on, I came out, and I'm trying to bring my family to enjoy this. So it was a win win for me.

Brian De Los Santos  02:41

[music swells] Kim and Paul are just one of thousands of families participating today. CicLAvia does events all over town, but it kind of feels special having it here in South LA.

Romel Pascual  02:55

Here in South LA, it's a community rich in culture, [music out] history, architecture, leaders, movement.

Brian De Los Santos  03:01

This is Romel Pascual.

Romel Pascual  03:03

I'm the executive director of CicLAvia. We're on 7.25 miles of open streets, non- motorized mobility. LA, if you think about the way it was founded, it was really a city about mobility, about walking through neighborhoods. We are a city of neighborhoods, walkability, bikeability, non-motorized transportation. This is prior to cars, right? It wasn't until really not that long ago, where uh, cars started to take form in Los Angeles, and we became the car capital of the world with the congestion that we received as a function of it. Now what you're realizing is, our DNA might be defined by cars, but I think [if] we go deeper, DNA is really connection. It's about community. It's about wellbeing. It's about joy. It's about happiness.

Aaricka Washington  03:52

So it's been 12 years, right? How has CicLAvia changed?

Romel Pascual  03:58

I think we've grown up. You know, we were a scrappy organization in the beginning thinking, What would a car-free event in the car capital of the world look like? The thing about LA is, once it does something right, it goes big. It's innovative. It's thought provoking. If we had to look at what would a happy protest look like? What would a party with purpose look like? It would be CicLAvia.

Brian De Los Santos  04:26

[music in] I feel like the event in South LA, it was catering to the local community. I did see people pushing like, strollers, or kids on carts. And it was also nice to see business owners come out and share waters or just share what they do in the community. To me, it kinda feels like a pride parade or some other type of celebration because people are saying "Hi" on the streets. And I just feel like it's a big old block party. Actually Aaricka and I shared a concha, and I was like, so happy to treat her because I'm like, I'm introducing her to my culture. And I'm showing her a little bit more about LA. And it just made this moment so special. South LA was one of the many communities here in this city that was torn apart to make way for cars. So- and really, it's like reclaiming these streets back into your community and owning them, you know. I think also a part of this event, it kind of creates a cultural exchange. LA is a melting pot of communities, of immigrants, of people who are from here. [music out] But as we know, LA's pretty segregated in its neighborhoods. [CicLAvia ambi] So when events like these roll around, whether you're someone who's from not the area, and you come in to enjoy your bike, or enjoy your skates, or you're someone from the community and you're able to exchange something, whether it's the music, you know, it's Salsa or Cumbia with a neighbor, it's a place where people just like, meld. [people talking and shouting in background]

Brian De Los Santos  05:54

[music in] If you want to check out CicLAvia, they'll announce the next one on Twitter and on their website. And don't worry, we'll throw in a link in our newsletter when the announcement drops. Maybe we'll see you there. That's it for today, though. We're back tomorrow with another Cheap Fast Eats, so get hungry, y'all because we're heading downtown. I've got one last thing to ask you. [Brian shouts] Leave us a review! I know. I know. But if you love me, you'll do it right now. It's free and it really does help us out a lot. Make that algorithm show me some love. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. [music out]