Alternative Transportation Parade recap
On Saturday, Sept. 24, Culver City residents and community groups came together to create the Alternative Transportation Parade. The parade, consisting of dozens of decorated bikes and costumed walkers, was organized by Transition Culver City as part of the Moving Planet day of global action to address climate change. Several local community groups were involved, including Sustainable Streets, Bikerowave, the reDiscover community art center, Girl Scout Troop 5635 and the Culver City Bicycle Coalition.
The afternoon began with a bike-decorating party in the Culver City Downtown Plaza, with recycled/re-purposed art supplies provided by the reDiscover Center. Members of Bikerowave were on hand to show cyclists how to make fixes to their bikes. The bicycle parade followed the new Downtown Connector bicycle route, where signs and shared-lane markings (sharrows) mark the easy residential route along Wesley Street and Lucerne Avenue, connecting downtown Culver City with the future Expo Line bicycle path. The parade ended at City Hall, where the kids worked on alternative vehicle art projects and the adults brainstormed about future action that Culver City residents could take locally to address global climate change.
Thank you to all the people who came out to make the Alternative Transportation Parade a success.
International Walk to School Week
One easy way to get involved locally is to participate in International Walk to School Week, Oct. 1-7. This year the City Council of Culver City is getting into the action and will issue a proclamation of support for International Walk to School Week at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday, Oct. 3, at 7 pm.
The week kicks off on Saturday, Oct.1, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Linwood Howe Elementary School yard, where the juniors of Culver City Girl Scout Troop 4645 will host an event called SEB Wheels (Save Energy Bike). The Girl Scouts will set up an obstacle course, as well as safety and repair booths. In addition, they will be taking donations of old (but usable) bikes, all of which will be brought to the Mar Vista Family Center, a community center just down the Ballona Creek Bike Path from Culver City.
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 8 a.m., Linwood Howe will also be having its second annual celebration of Walk to School Day, with Culver City officials and local residents joining the students, parents and teachers on a walk from City Hall, where participants will gather before walking together for a rally at the school.
Last year, in spite of torrential rains, the walk was wildly successful, with more than 200 participants, including the chiefs of the Culver City police and fire departments, as well as school district officials and city council members. Principal Amy Anderson, a strong supporter of kids and parents walking/biking to school, will also be giving out the coveted Golden Sneaker Award to the classroom with best walking/biking participation that week.
Other Culver City schools will also be organizing walk/bike events, so be on the lookout for these, and participate.
Get involved
For more information on the Culver City community organizations mentioned above, visit their websites to find out how you can get involved.
transitionculvercity.org/
rediscovercenter.org/
sustainablestreets.org/
bikerowave.org/
Bike Safe, Bike Smart! is a weekly column to promote responsible cycling by providing information, education, and advice about riding. It’s written by members of the Culver City Bicycle Coalition (CCBC), a local chapter of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. The CCBC hosts a family ride each month. For more information, go to ccbike.org/.
