洛杉矶鼓励骑自行车 以对抗空气污染

The recently released the American Lung Association’s 2013 State of the Air Report -- found Los Angeles - despite all its environmental efforts - has the worst levels of ozone pollution in the country. Ozone is a key component of smog, and the key contributor to that is traffic.

The city of Los Angeles once again crowned King of congestion as it earned the dubious distinction of having America’s worst traffic according to a recent report by traffic data service, Inrix. But Los Angelians don’t need some study to tell them that. They drive - or better yet - idle on 4 of the most-congested freeways in the United States - an average 59 hours a year or 2 days says Inrix.

Clearly Los Angeles is in need of some automobile rehab. And for years City officials have been looking for ways to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes. They’re not asking people to quit their cars cold turkey, but 1 day of abstinence, 1-time a year is just what the doctor ordered.

Kimberli Samuel of LA tourism board, said, “LA is sprawling city filled with so many hidden gems and great neighborhoods. but you don’t need a car to get around that’s the best thing about it."

And that’s the reason city officials recently closed over 15 miles of LA streets to motorized traffic for several hours as some 150-thousand people hit the roads mostly by bikes, blades and foot for Ciclavia. Inspired by a similar event in traffic-plagued Bogota, Columbia - Ciclavia encourages residents and tourists to abandon their autos. For Bicycle Maker Ken Land - this has become a family event.

Ken Land, Ciclavia participant, said, "I make all the bicycles for my family and we come out and ride together."

Kimberli Samuel said, "Ciclavia has really started to change the mindset of Angelenos. This is the 6th time that Ciclavia has been in our city and we thought it was the perfect time to launch car-free LA. an initiative that’s also green and eco-firendly, but better yet it gets people out of their cars by giving them a series of itineraries by allowing them to travel through LA via foot, metro, public transportation or biking in our city."

All of these efforts are part of LA’s city bike plan, which will soon launch - the nation’s 2nd largest bike sharing program. And which has brought more than 125 miles of new bike lanes .. as well as a renewed sense of environmental responsibility.