Angelenos Go Car-Free for a Day
LOS ANGELES—Cyclists flooded Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, October 6, for the CiLAvia biking event, “Heart of LA.” This family-friendly event brought Angelenos together to bike, skate and walk along a 6-mile, car-free route.
The nonprofit organization has its headquarters in the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) campus in Downtown’s Arts District. Rachel Burke is CicLAvia’s Director of Production and has helped organize all 33 public biking events since its start in 2010.
“We have nine full-time staffers at the organization, and we all help to keep things running to make these events happen,” said Burke.
Of the nine staff members, Burke oversees a three-person production team who handles most of the logistics and route planning for each biking event.
“On event day, we hire anywhere from 30-50 people to make sure things run smoothly helping with set up, breakdown, merchandise sales, information, etc. along with several hundred volunteers on the route,” said Burke.
This year CicLAvia partnered with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) for the university’s centennial celebration. UCLA had its first campus based in downtown LA and hosted a bike hub on First Street with interactive stops that paid tribute to the university’s ongoing 100th birthday festivities.
Other volunteer groups included the California Conservation Corp (CCC) who helped facilitate traffic stops along the route. Ariel Santos and Isaiah Robles were among the CCC members who volunteered their time during the event.
“Seeing the whole community come together as one and seeing everyone having a good time is a fun sight to witness as a volunteer,” said Robles.
Miss this event? Find out where CicLAvia will host the next bike event at www.ciclavia.org.