Surprises at CicLAvia

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By: Emily Frost and Kaitlin Parker

This is an Annenberg Radio News and Neon Tommy collaboration.

This past Saturday, 100,000 people filled the streets of Los Angeles to participate in CicLAvia, the city's first car-free street fair. The 7.5 mile rout was filled with surprises from the start, at Melrose Avenue and Heliotrope Drive, to finish, in Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights.

On the Fourth Street bridge, Diana Umana and Edson Palucha, members of the bicycle group Midnight Ridazz, threw glitter at bikers speeding by.

"It's great seeing people getting stuck with glitter," Palucha said. "It makes them look more colorful than they usually are."

The intersection of Melrose Avenue and Heliotripe Drive, and the surrounding area known as the Bicycle District, buzzed with activity throughout the day. While bicycles abounded, there were plenty of walkers and rollerbladers as well.

Max Podemski, one of the organizing committee members for CicLAvia, worked at a booth handing out maps of the routes and selling T-shirts printed with the event logo. Podemski had been on site since the morning, and he was thrilled to see two years of hard work finally come to fruition.

"It's great," Podemski said. "I mean, I've been here all day. It's great to see so many people out. It's just great that it's a reality. I'm excited to get out on the route and actually see the streets."

A lot of children were present at this hub on the route, but Richelle and Jena, two moms who live close to the Bicycle District, decided to leave their children at home and make it a girls day out.

"So far, it's been really nice," Richelle said. "It's nice to be able to bicycle along such an open road in Los Angeles, in the middle of downtown. I try to bike other times, but it's scary, especially when there are cars parked along the curb, and you're not sure if someone is going to open their door or not."

Richelle said that knowing the route would be car-free allowed her to really enjoy the ride and take in the scenery, rather than concentrating on not getting injured.

Later in the day, the Bicycle District began to feel even more like a party. A DJ set up turntables, and a Brazilian dance group played music in preparation for a performance.

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For more coverage of CicLAvia, including a a slideshow and video, please visit Neon Tommy.