As part of our work in Southeast Los Angeles, on Sunday, August 19, LACBC partnered with Evan-Brooks Associates, Hollydale Cycling Club, and Walk ‘n’ Rollers to present Vernon and Huntington Park’s River to Rail Open Streets Event, the first of its kind.
It started off with LACBC ride marshals leading two separate feeder rides directly to the open streets festival. One came from the north, beginning at Union Station and stopping to discuss the history of the original Chinatown, Boyle Heights and the Battle of La Mesa, the final armed conflict of the Mexican-American War that took place in Vernon. The other ride started from the south in Long Beach, heralding riders from the mouth of the LA River seventeen miles along the LA River Path into to the City of Vernon.
The festival brought together Southeast Los Angeles (SELA), which is a center of vibrant, Latinx communities, many of whom depend on biking, walking, and public transit to move between work, school, home, and other community resources.
People enjoyed the five miles of open streets with three unique hubs featuring local food vendors, artists, and music as the community-based street fair linked Metro’s Slauson Blue Line Rail Station to the LA River Path.
Open streets events are a great way to encourage people to see and use their roads for more than motor vehicle travel and how we can better serve our communities with better bike infrastructure and road improvements. LACBC is passionate about the use of active modes of transportation for their health, environmental, and economic benefits.
We also know they’re a ton of fun and have a unique ability to turn strangers into neighbors and neighbors into friends. In SELA, they’re also an important mode of transportation for many residents.
LACBC is proud to be part of this event and hopes to see more open streets events coming to SELA.