HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Taking a tour of some of Hollywood's icons didn't have to be done by automobile today.
CicLAvia, a car-free event promoting bicycling, rollerblading and walking, took place along a new 6.5-mile route where stretches of Santa Monica Boulevard, Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard were closed to automobiles from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Meet the Hollywoods,” was the first CicLAvia to include West Hollywood, East Hollywood, Thai Town and Little Armenia, organizers said.
“We're really excited that we can open up our public spaces, take them away from cars, just for a little bit, so you can see our communities in a way that maybe you've never seen them before,” West Hollywood Councilwoman Lindsey P. Horvath said before the start of the event.
CicLAvia “helps bring people together, helps bring communities together,” Horvath said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was among the participants.
“It's great to be at CicLAvia, pushing our pedals past the Pantages, wandering along the Walk of Fame, and gearing up for views of our Great Streets project,” Garcetti tweeted.
The Great Streets Initiative, begun by Garcetti in 2014, has designated 18 streets -- at least one in each of the city's 15 council districts -- to receive improvements intended to make them more pedestrian- friendly and livable.
Judy Covarrubias of Reseda told NBC4 CicLAvia was “great because you don't have to worry about traffic or getting hit by a car.”
“We love to ride bikes and we look forward to CicLAvias so that we can really get to appreciate each town it's in,” she said.
The route ran from Hollywood Boulevard at Vermont Avenue to Highland Avenue, south on Highland Avenue to Sunset Boulevard and west to San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood. There are no starting point or finish line for CicLAvia events. Participants can start and end anywhere they like. CicLAvia is open to all forms of human-powered, non-motorized transport.
There was no immediate response to an email sent Sunday night seeking the number of participants.
“Every time CicLAvia takes place, for one day we get to experience what a dedicated active transit community would be like in Los Angeles,” Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, tweeted. “Safer streets, cleaner air, healthier lifestyles, these are all promises of the vision for our future that CicLAvia helps actualize.”
“Meet the Hollywoods,” was the fourth of six CicLAvias planned for 2019. The others will be on Oct. 6, stretching from Mariachi Plaza west to MacArthur Park and north to Chinatown celebrating UCLA's 100th anniversary, and Dec. 8, a first-time visit to several West San Fernando Valley communities.
Photos: Getty Images