I just read an article in the LA Times on a movement here in LA to bring Bogota's "ciclovia" to our sunny streets.
As the article says, "Ciclovia was born in the Colombian city of Bogota 30 years ago. Car-choked and polluted, Bogota's geography and sprawl very much mirrors that of Los Angeles. But every Sunday in Bogota, the city's major avenues are shut down to cars and hundreds of thousands of cyclists take to the streets. CicLAvia wants to replicate that success in Los Angeles - a city not exactly known for being bicycle-friendly."
Good for the folks working to make this happen. They rock.
I hear these stories and I think a) Look what is possible! and b) What the hell is taking us so long?! I mean New York closes down streets in the middle of Manhattan, Bogota closes down streets EVERY SUNDAY, and we have to scrape to get a freaking bike lane that doesn't even make to our downtown area.
We have a long way to go, but you look at these other examples and it's clear that it can be done, and that given LA's natural features - good weather and relative flatness - we are wasting a terrific opportunity.
If they can do it, we can do it.
Jim, Hey are you talking utopia? I'm not sure you can ride there
ReplyDeletefrom here. But it's true , if they can do it ,we can do it goddamnit.
Jon C.
Do they have bike lanes in Utopia? Or is that redundant?
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