The idea blew the minds of Caltrans officials.
In 2003, two professors from Occidental College and folks from environmental and cycling groups organized the closure of a section of the 110 Freeway — also known as the Pasadena Freeway — for several hours on Father’s Day so people could walk, push strollers with babies, and ride bikes, skateboards and scooters on the emptied freeway.
” ‘Are you serious?’ they said. ‘Do you really want to shut down the freeway for people to bike ride and walk on it?’ ” said Robert Gottlieb, professor emeritus of Occidental College and one of the organizers of the original ArroyoFest, remembering Caltrans’ initial reaction to the idea.
“They came around,” he said with a chuckle, during an interview on Oct. 10.
Caltrans allowed what was the first-ever closure of a Southern California freeway to make way for pedestrians, skaters and bicyclers. On June 15, 2003, the first ArroyoFest attracted 8,000 participants of all ages who biked, walked and even somersaulted across six freeway lanes between South Pasadena and Northeast Los Angeles on a mid-June morning.
Now, 20 years after the historic closure of a freeway in Los Angeles for use by people on two feet or two wheels, ActiveSGV and LA Metro will do it a second time.
Second ArroyoFest on Oct. 29
626 Golden Streets ArroyoFest 2023 will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, when six lanes and six miles of the Arroyo Seco Parkway will be closed to cars from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The freeway-turned-open-streets stretches from Glenarm Street in Pasadena to Avenue 26 in Lincoln Heights, a community in Los Angeles. People can begin their stroll or ride by entering via the freeway on-ramps.
The southbound lanes will be reserved for pedestrians, including walkers, runners, wheelchair users and small children with their parents or guardians, sort of like a giant sidewalk. Northbound lanes are for those riding wheeled devices including bikes, skates, scooters, e-bikes and…
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