News of the Arroyo


Title:

ArroyoFest will bring 110 to screeching halt

Subtitle:

Date:

2003-06-03

Summary:

June 3, 2003 - Get set to ride your bike or walk on the Arroyo Seco Parkway at ArroyoFest June 15.

Author:

Lisa Faught, Staff Writer

Publication:

Pasadena Star News

Content:


ArroyoFest set for June 15
By Lisa Faught, Staff Writer

ARROYO SECO -- More than 130,000 cars daily clog the narrow and
hazardous stretch of road that is the historic Arroyo Seco Parkway.

So when organizers of ArroyoFest floated a proposal to temporarily
close the road known as the Pasadena (110) Freeway to make way for
hikers and bikers, they met with more than a little skepticism, said
Robert Gottlieb, director of the Urban and Environmental Policy
Institute based at Occidental College.

But after logging thousands of calls to government agencies over the
last year-and-a-half, they managed to achieve their goal -- four
hours of respite from rushing traffic on the freeway.

\"It was very complicated, very difficult, which is often true for
something unprecedented,\" Gottlieb said. \"There is this element of
disbelief: \'How can you shut down a freeway?\"\'

On the morning of June 15, Caltrans will close the Arroyo Seco
Parkway to traffic in both directions for ArroyoFest, a celebration
of all things Arroyo Seco.

The celebration will include a freeway walk and bike ride, along with
a community festival at Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park.

By halting traffic on the first freeway in the West, organizers hope
to get people to think about alternatives to driving. The corridor is
a prime candidate for multiple modes of transportation, said Marcus
Renner, coordinator for UEPI.

The Gold Line light-rail system from Los Angeles to Pasadena, which
partly parallels the freeway, is expected to open this summer, with
the potential for improved bus service and trails for hiking and
biking.

\"If you shut down a freeway, you shut down this symbol of Southern
California. It shakes people\'s imagination about different ways to
live,\" Renner said. \"There is such a need, a hunger, for alternatives
to the two-hour commute.\"

The Arroyo Seco, a river harnessed by a concrete channel, stretches
from near Mt. Wilson in the Angeles National Forest to the Los
Angeles River near Elysian Park, a distance of 22 miles.

In recent years, the Arroyo Seco has seen a cultural revival, as
dozens of organizations have examined its past, present and future.
The organizations range from the Arroyo Arts Collective, to the
equestrian Rose Bowl Riders, to the Montecito Heights Improvement
Association.

As the movement grew over the years, the scope of interests started
to intersect, culminating in the ArroyoFest.

The goal is to connect the sometimes disparate communities of the
region around a unifying theme. In this case, the Arroyo Seco.

\"We belong some place. This isn\'t a faceless maze of concrete. The
Arroyo is a place loved by people of many cultures,\" Renner said.
\"This is home.\"

ArroyoFest organizers recently released a policy agenda for the
Arroyo Seco, compiling all aspects of the Arroyo into one report. It
examines the transportation, environment, history and culture of the
Arroyo Seco.

\"There are all these separate efforts to think about the future of
the Arroyo Seco,\" said Mark Vallianatos , co-author of the agenda.
\"This is for everyone to be aware of the connection between the
issues.\"

-- Lisa Faught can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4496, or by
e-mail at lisa.faught@sgvn.com.


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