The first CicLAvia of the year takes place this Sunday, March 26. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., a six-mile stretch will be clear of all vehicular traffic between Culver City, Mar Vista and Venice and open for walkers, bikers, joggers and skateboarders to explore the area’s scenic views! Metro’s Open Streets program provides the funding for these type of events, which have proven to be immensely popular (more on that below).

If you’ve never walked, ridden or skated the route, you’ll be excited to know that it’s become a fan-favorite over the years, plus it’s easy to access from Metro Rail stations! Don’t have a bike? Try Metro Bike Share, temporary stations and bikes for rent will be available at the Venice and Downtown Culver City hubs. Come ride the event with a Metro Bike Share bike (supplies limited to first come first serve).

Expo Line’s Culver City Station is closest to the first hub; however, the parking lot has closed for construction. La Cienega/Jefferson is the next closest lot east of the route with 476 parking spots. It’s $3 to park at La Cienega/Jefferson with a valid TAP card.

The Ince Parking structure is also open in Culver City and available for Metro riders. It’s about a half-mile walk from Culver City Station and costs $3 to park. For more information on Metro park and ride lots, click here.

Metro will run enhanced Expo Line service during CicLAvia with trains running every nine minutes. Most trains will operate with three cars to accommodate extra bikes and people on board.

Trains can get crowded pretty fast during CicLAvia, so be sure to follow proper bike etiquette. Here are some tips on how to bring your bike onboard and a few rules to observe and follow:

• Use the entire platform when boarding
• Avoid long lines and load $3.50 roundtrip fare in Stored Value before the event
• Board trains with bikes using doors with yellow decals
• Always walk your bike when entering Metro stations or onboard trains
• For everyone’s safety, don’t bring bikes on escalators; use stairs or elevators instead
• Elevator priority should be given to customers with disabilities
• Do not use emergency exit gates at turnstiles except during emergencies or when directed by law enforcement or Metro personnel
• Please observe Bikes on Metro guidelines
• Please visit CicLAvia’s website for more event information

Of course, car-free also means no buses, so Metro riders can expect bus detours and temporary stop relocations along the route. Check out the Service Advisory page for more information on specific detour routes.

Before signing off, I’d like to wish everyone a fun and safe CicLAvia. And if you plan to get there via Metro bus or train, thanks for riding! Be sure to share your experience with us by tagging our Twitter and Instagram!

CicLAvia: Culver City Meets Venice was funded through a grant from the Metro Open Streets Grant Program, which funds events throughout the County that temporarily close streets to automobiles and open them up to people to re-imagine their streets while walking, biking, rollerblading or pushing a stroller in a car-free environment. The goals of the program are to encourage sustainable modes of transportation (biking, walking and transit), provide an opportunity to take transit for the first time and provide an opportunity for civic engagement that can foster the development of city’s multi-modal policies.