The new CicLAvia route stretches to USC. (screenshot via CicLAvia)
This week CicLAvia organizers released the newest version of their bike route map, which extends south of the 10 freeway -- farther into South Los Angeles than ever before. Bikers will travel on Figueroa from the heart of downtown L.A. to Exposition Park, stopping near the Expo Park/USC Metro station.
This new route also extends farther east into Boyle Heights and north into Chinatown, in an attempt to reach into new communities and help riders become more familiar with LA neighborhoods, according to Ashley Rodgers, a media representative for CicLAvia.
Bringing the massive group ride to South L.A. has been a "big initiative" of the organization since its founding, said Rodgers, and they have been "working diligently" to do so but still face logistical challenges such as working with the city to safely close down the streets.
This additional attention on South LA continues the growing momentum of the area's bike scene. Earlier this month a bike ride and community fair at Manchester Square, put on by the Real Rydaz and We Are Responsible People (WARP), utilized miles of new bike lanes down Vermont Avenue and attracted hundreds of people.
Last month, Ride South L.A. organized a public ride to the Watts Towers, and according to Tafarai Bayne of T.R.U.S.T. South L.A., the event was aimed at ensuring that "South L.A. wasn't left out of the [cycling] conversation."
Prior to the upcoming CicLAvia event, the farthest the group bike ride route stretched was the African American Firefighters Museum on Central Avenue. The next CicLAvia is set for October 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
