Cycle of Life

CICLE shows how life in L.A. can be car-free.
by Laura Hauther

If clogged streets, sky-high gas prices and polluted air aren’t reasons enough to run out and buy a bike or give the subway a try, CICLE’s hoping to show the way to a less car-dependent lifestyle with a series of gatherings, workshops and, well, partying.

The small group of bike enthusiasts is out to live up to their name—Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange—by putting on events where hard-core bikers, casual bikers and the bike-curious can mix and mingle in a relaxed, no-pressure environment. “We don’t care if you walk, bike or drive down,” says CICLE co-director Liz Elliot. “Not everyone can go completely car-free…even biking or using public transportation once in a while is a step in the right direction.”

CICLE’s kick-off event, Life Can Be So Car-free, will be at the new Los Angeles State Historic Park, former home of the Not a Cornfield Project. There will be plenty of bike and alternative transportation info available, but this event is centered on bands, films and picnic baskets.

If you come ready to ride, Friends of the L.A. River will start off the event with a tour along the bike path to witness the river’s ongoing transformation. Those in a sedentary mood can stay behind and marvel at the creative modifications of local bike aficionados, like the light but tough bamboo bike trailer made by the CICLE organizers. The bike trailer can easily haul 200 hundred pounds and costs less than $45.00 to make—it’s a smart and simple way to avoid using a gas-powered vehicle for larger tasks. For smaller loads and trips to the grocery store there are baskets and panniers, which are basically sidesaddles for bikes. There’ll be info on how to make or buy these modifications for yourself.

Bring a t-shirt for on-site silk-screening or sign up for a commuter coach from Roll With It, a new program designed to help inexperienced bike commuters learn the rules of the road from someone who’s an old hand at getting around in car-heavy rush hour traffic. It’s the perfect way to get over the initial apprehension of facing traffic and it’s free.

Other booths will have information on everything from buying the right bike, the best back roads for bikes, improving your riding skills, gear guides, safety and info on the burgeoning L.A. bike scene—group rides, happenings and more.

Then local bike-lovin’ bands Triple Chicken Foot and Telematique will serenade picnickers until dark when local cyclist and filmmaker Arisha Siegal breaks out the indie films. She’s picked a wide range of films—animated shorts, documentaries and experimental—all hitting on the general theme of getting from here to there. “I wanted these films to be fun and entertaining and at the same time show people making actual choices about the type of transportation they use,” says Siegal. “A lot of these films break down the assumptions…about…what living car-free or car-light looks like.”

Peter Hyoguchi’s LA Without a Car documents the adventures of a brave soul determined to get around L.A. with just a skateboard and a bus ticket. There’ll be highlights from Contested Streets, a film questioning the car’s domination of New York City streets by showing examples of workable alternatives in London, Paris and Copenhagen. These cities have improved quality of life for their citizens by implementing more pedestrian and bike-friendly policies.

These are the type of ideas CICLE’s organizers hope to bring to Los Angeles. CICLE founder Shay Sanchez says, “Here in Los Angeles our choice in transportation defines much of our experience. Long and congested commutes, sprawl, air and noise pollution, sedentary lifestyles…loss of connection to our neighbors and communities…have become the undesirable hallmarks of a Los Angeles existence. It’s clear we need to actively seek out other transportation options.” L.A.’s thought of itself as spread out—a car-centered town for so long—that the change over to population-dense urban centers with bike and pedestrian –friendly streets and reliable public transportation might seem like a tree-huggers dream. But the reality is our recent development booms in Hollywood and Downtown have emphasized density mainly because there’s nowhere left to build but up.

That population density can be a boon or a bust for L.A. depending on how willing people are to leave their cars at home. CICLE’s co-director Liz Elliot points out working models of car-late cities: “Los Angeles needs to move in the direction of other sustainable growth cities like San Francisco and Portland. Those cities have earned that designation by putting car-free transportation at the center of their urban growth plans.” This includes creating population-dense residential and retail mix complexes, convenient public transportation, and walk- and bike-friendly roadways.

But these are all major changes in basic infrastructure, and Elliot is realistic about the pace of change. “While a major overhaul of our city’s infrastructure and transportation systems is far off…Incorporating walking and bicycling and public transportation into our lives, at least part of the time, is surprisingly easy.”

If you can’t make the September 30th event, don’t worry: Not only can you visit CICLE’s information-heavy website at www.BikeNow.org, but you can keep posted on their future events, including hands-on workshops on biking, bike advocacy, repair, maintenance and modifications. LAA

Life Can Be So Car-free
Saturday, September 30th
5 p.m. -10 p.m.
Los Angeles Historic State Park