Yesterday thousands of people pedaled, walked, ran, skated and scootered on about a mile of car-free Gage Avenue in the Southeast L.A. County city of Bell. It was the first ever Bell Open Streets event.
Similar to the recent Arroyo Fest, the morning kicked off with a foot race (1K and 5K) along the route. The early morning run seems to help swell early attendance as many runners linger at the activity hubs, and spend time walking back along the route.
Though plenty of people participated - mostly on foot and on bike - attendance was a little slim compared to more central, more easily transit-accessible CicLAvia events. Fairly cold overcast weather with a chance of light drizzle also probably kept some potential attendees away (though this sort of weather ends up being good for physical activity).
Many families with young children - some on training wheels, some on tricycles - made their way happily along Gage. Restaurants and activity hubs were crowded.
Hopefully with this successful run/ciclovía under its belt, the city of Bell will consider making Open Streets a recurring event.
Readers - how was your experience at Bell Open Streets?
There are three more L.A. County open streets festivals coming up this month: Long Beach (this Saturday, May 10), Pico Union (May 18), and Glendale (May 31).
