Yesterday, Sunset4All celebrated hitting its fundraising target. Sunset4All is a grassroots campaign for a safe all-ages protected bikeway along Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards through East Hollywood, Echo Park, and Silver Lake. Earlier this year, Sunset4All and the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $25,000 for initial engineering and outreach for the proposed improvements.
Last month, thanks to over 350 local donors, the campaign achieved its goal. Bike Coalition Executive Director Eli Akira Kaufman credited "our friends at Superpedestrian who stepped up to close the funding gap” to put Sunset4All past its goal. Last week, Superpedestrian launched its fleet of 5,000 Link e-scooters across Los Angeles. According to a joint press release, Link is the "largest provider of new shared scooters" in the city of Los Angeles.
Yesterday, LACBC, Superpedestrian, and Sunset4All hosted a community celebration honoring the successful campaign. The event, which took place at the Sunset Triangle People St Plaza, included brief speeches by organization representatives.
Akira Kaufman emphasized his gratitude for the donors who are helping move Sunset4All forward. Superpedestrian Policy and Business Development Manager Sharon Zhang stressed the company's support for making sure that people can travel safely on city streets across the region. Sunset4All organizer Avital Shavit emphasized the need for safety improvements on Sunset, due to a long history of crashes there resulting in deaths and serious injuries.
After the speeches, attendees had a chance to try out Link e-scooters, and to participate in a short victory bike/scooter ride.
The next steps for Sunset4All will include proceeding with engineering designs and conducting ongoing outreach.
To find more information about Sunset4All, including how to donate and/or volunteer, see the Bike Coalition's Sunset4All webpage.
