Wilshire Boulevard to close Sunday for 7th CicLAvia cycling event

Cars wait at a traffic light as CicLAvia participants pass on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles during the event this past April.

By Laura J. Nelson

June 21, 2013 12:37 PM PT

CicLAvia returns for its seventh tour of Los Angeles on Sunday with a route that will give participants a close-up view of Wilshire Boulevard.

The event’s organizers have called the route the most pedestrian-friendly of any CicLAvia. For the first time, there will be pedestrian-only zones at the beginning and end of the route. Those areas will feature activities including pilates, belly dance classes and bicycle helmet decoration.

“This is our dream CicLAvia,” Executive Director Aaron Paley said in a statement. “The route is ideal for pedestrians, for people who love the history of Los Angeles architecture, foodies, families, cyclists and everyone who wants to experience the grand thoroughfare of Los Angeles from a new perspective.”

A 6.3-mile stretch of the east-west artery will be closed to cars between Grand and Fairfax avenues from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the longest a street has been closed for the recurring car-free event.

The six previous days drew as many as 100,000 cyclists and pedestrians. The $350,000 cost to stage each event is picked up by a nonprofit, CicLAvia, and the city, which uses state and federal money. The goal of the nonprofit is to encourage public health, mass transit and vibrant use of public space through car-free street events.

For cars, there will be four crossing points along Wilshire at Alvarado Street, Vermont Avenue, Western Avenue and La Brea Avenue.

A series of “hubs” will provide other activities, including yoga in MacArthur Park and cars from the Petersen Automotive Museum displayed at the end of the route.

For walkers, a “WalkLAvia” event will begin at Wilshire and Grand at 9:15 a.m. Organizers expect the walk will take about four hours, including a stop for lunch.

The event is a part of the Getty Museum’s “Pacific Standard Time Presents,” a collection of exhibitions and events that examine post-World War II architecture and design in Los Angeles.

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Twitter: @laura_nelson

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