Did you know..
- Angelenos spend collectively 490 million hours in traffic
- Traffic congestion costs nearly $10 billion each year
- 38% of Greenhouse Gas emissions in California are due to transportation
- Biking and walking 24 minutes a day on average has been found to reduce heart disease and diabetes by 14% while decreasing greenhouse gases by 14%
- Decreasing exposure to heavy traffic and long commutes reduces stress and exposure to pollutants.
To celebrate World Car-Free Day and promote reduced congestion and a healthier environment, the LA County Bicycle Coalition is hosting a 10 mile ride along the Orange Line Bike Path from Van Nuys Blvd. to Balboa Park in the San Fernando Valley as part of the Car Free SFV series of events. We’ll take a loop around the park, stopping to check out the R/C airplanes and miniature airport. The ride will finish at MacLeod’s Ale Brewing Company, the first microbrewery in the San Fernando Valley. We’ll get a tour of the Brewery, and LA County Bike Coalition members showing their membership card get 15% off drinks and merchandise.
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: 6060 Van Nuys Blvd. (on the Orange Line Bike Path)
RSVP: [email protected]
Car Free San Fernando Valley is a collaborative event sponsored by non-profit organizations, local businesses, schools, and local government to empower the community to go Car-Free (or even car-light) just for a day. By choosing to walk, bike, carpool, or take public transit on September 21 you will see how easy it can be to use alternative transportation!
Here are some ideas for creating your own personal car-free (or car-light) days. With a little advance planning, you’ll be surprised how many days you can actually do this:
- Pick a day you know that you are going to be mostly in your neighborhood.
- Outfit your bike or yourself with everything you need to get around with limited use of your car. If you plan to bike, with a basket, a rack and a backpack you can carry most things you might need or acquire during the day.
- Check out where the closest bike lanes are located, and figure out the least congested way to walk or bike to where you are going (and remember, you can ride on the sidewalk if you don’t feel safe).
- Take baby steps–the first few times, don’t try to be car-free for an entire day. Instead, try to figure out one or 2 car trips you can avoid by walking or biking instead.
- Enjoy!