For the first time in 20 years, a section of Arroyo Seco Parkway, the oldest freeway on the West Coast, will be closed to people walking, biking, skating and running.
On October 29th, Arroyofest will let you explore six miles of the 110 Freeway between Los Angeles and Pasadena without a car.
Twenty years ago, the inaugural Arroyofest was ahead of its time in Southern California, said Wesley Reutimann, co-founder and special programs director of one of the event’s organizers, ActiveSGV.
In June 2003, seven years before the first CicLAvia “Open Street” event, Arroyo Fest closed Arroyo Seco Parkway for three hours, giving thousands of people the chance to see the highway like never before. rice field.
“I had a strong urge to go to the 5 exit,” cyclist Steve Edberg told The Times in an article covering the 2003 rally. “If I had 200 or 300 riders, I think we could have taken them over.”
The original ArroyoFest was in the planning stages for 10 years before event organizers persuaded Caltrans to go ahead.
Twenty years later, planning to revisit the event proved equally complicated, Reutimann said.
“It takes a lot of elements to host an event like this,” he said. “It speaks volumes that we were able to put on our first performance in 2003 successfully.”
Reportedly, this is a huge undertaking involving various permitting procedures and agencies, including approval by the Pasadena City Council and special event permits from Caltrans. Pasadena now.
After years of planning, the return of Arroyofest will offer many new perspectives on the highway. And perhaps a glimpse into Arroyo Seco’s original vision before it became one of Los Angeles’ most infamous white driving experiences.
In June 2003, during Arroyofest, traditionally dressed cyclists arrived at a gas station on equally traditional bicycles to rest after cruising the 110 Freeway.
(Hector Mata/AFP/Getty Images)
The Arroyo Seco Parkway opened in 1940 and was conceived as a meandering, lush parkway capable of carrying approximately 27,000 vehicles per day at speeds up to 45 mph.
Today, the parkway is well over 100,000 times a day, and people are driving twice as fast as it was originally designed. Narrow lanes, narrow shoulders and short entry/exit ramps can make it a terrifying drive for the unfamiliar.
ArroyoFest, like open-street events like CicLAvia and 626 Golden Streets, offers freedom from fast-moving cars, even for a few hours.
In practice, this means cyclists circling the busy Los Angeles to Pasadena transportation corridor and back.
Arroyo Seco Parkway was preceded by the California Cycleway. The first section of the bike path opened in 1900 after the cycling boom of the 1890s.
According to the Pasadena History Museum, part of the bike path was demolished when the city of Pasadena needed land for Central Park, and then the rest of the bike path was removed as well. According to the Arroyo Seco Foundation, the bikeway right-of-way eventually became part of the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
Reutimann said several factors played into the decision to revive Arroyofest. ActiveSGV met with the original organizers, including Occidental College faculty, Los Angeles residents, and Caltrans representatives, who supported the event’s re-launch.
ArroyoFest was originally scheduled to return in 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers began re-planning the event two years ago.
This year’s 626 Golden Street: Arroyofest The rally will be held on October 29 from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. For the first four hours, people are free to enter the Arroyo Seco Parkway from just north of Freeway 5 to the Arroyo Seco terminus in Pasadena. A portion of South Pasadena’s Mission Street subway station to Garfield Park will be open to Arroyofest attendees for the duration of the event.
Reutimann said the plan is to start closing the parkways a few hours before the event and reopen by noon.
Event attendees are free.
This route includes three stops near subway stations along the line: Lincoln/Cypress Station, Southwest Museum Station, and South Pasadena Station, where participants can enjoy musical performances, art activities, and pop-ups . The hub will also have a bike repair station and a water station.
On Mondays, there will be an exploration event where cyclists can preview upcoming Arroyofests and explore the Arroyo Seco bike path, but will not be allowed onto the highway. The route is 11 miles and one way only, so you can take the subway back or bike back if you prefer.
