L.A. Removes Its Training Wheels

One of the sure signs that CicLAvia, L.A.'s bi-annual car-free party that just announced a new route for its October incarnation, is becoming more and more mainstream is that city leaders now embrace the event not just as a great time; but as proof that Los Angeles can change.

After CicLAvia I on October 10, 2010, much of the discussion was about what an amazing day all participants had.  As we experienced CicLAvias II, III and IV, the conversation broadened.

Today's conversation is so big that this week the Mayor's office released "L.A. Removes Its Training Wheels."  The video discusses how CicLAvia is changing Los Angeles with the people enjoying last April's event.  True, there's at least one ringer in the mix (I see you American Institute of Architect's Will Wright!), but the message comes through loud and clear.  Experiencing L.A. without a car is changing the way residents and commuters think about the city.

“We want CicLAvia to have an impact beyond the event day,” CicLAvia steering committee member Aaron Paley told me last week.

So far, so good.