Imagine the Arroyo Seco Parkway closed to vehicular traffic, flooded instead with pedestrians and cyclists, if only for a few hours. Sounds like a wild idea, right?
Well, you might be surprised to learn that the exact same scenario played out two decades ago, and a regional organization is looking to replicate the experience later this year.
In 2003, Occidental College Professor Robert Gottlieb organized the first ArroyoFest, which closed the Pasadena Freeway to motor vehicles for a few hours, letting cyclists and walkers takeover the major artery connecting Pasadena and Downtown L.A.
This year, the community organization ActiveSGV is spearheading the effort for a second ArroyoFest in October.
“Everyone I’ve encountered who was at the event speaks about how magical it was,” said Wes Reutimann, the Special Programs Director with ActiveSGV, who missed the original ArroyoFest. “It really left an indelible imprint on folks.”
The plan is to close the 110 to traffic from approximately Avenue 26 just north of the 5 Freeway to the highway’s terminus at Glernarm Street in Pasadena. The six-mile stretch would remain open for four hours on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 29 to cyclists, skaters, and pedestrians..
Reutimann says the event aims to promote different forms of mobility, raise awareness about the 83-year-old parkway — one of the nation’s oldest freeways — and educate the public about environmental and health issues.
