Going For The Gold In 2028: the Festival Trail Initiative is a Big Idea to Create a Legacy for Angelenos

This past Sunday I watched the 2024 Olympic Closing Ceremony in Downtown Culver City along with hundreds of other Angelenos as Tom Cruise rappelled into the Stade de France, took the Olympic flag from Mayor Karen Bass, and parachuted into Los Angeles, “delivering” the Olympics to Hollywood in a Mission: Impossible show that was quintessential LA. What came next stood out for me. Cruise hands the flag to Olympic athlete Kate Courtney, who bikes down the steps of LA City Hall to the LA Coliseum, where Michael Johnson runs through the palm-tree-lined streets of LA, sharing it with skateboarder Jagger Eaton, followed closely by a group of walkers/runners. ​​

What was missing from this sequence? Cars!!

Mayor Karen Bass touts the LA28 Olympics and Paralympics as the “no-car” or “car-free” –a concept that Metro has included in its “Games Route Network” for several years and written about in hundreds of articles–and people keep asking, can LA really pull it off

That question was the hottest topic at our Move LA Policy Conference on May 31st and will again be a topic of discussion at the UCLA Arrowhead Symposium: Mega Events, Major Opportunities from October 13-15, 2024 at UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge. Register by 8/31 for $200 off using our exclusive discount code MOVELA.

 

As I opined in the New York Times, I am “optimistic” that LA can pull it off, not just because it is what we have the deadline of major events like the Olympics and World Cup, but because it is the Move LA vision that we brought to voters in 2008 and 2016 with the passage of Measure R and M–to fund a world-class transportation network that benefits Angelenos for decades to come.

We believe this is our region’s moment – our moment to transform the way that the world sees Los Angeles – not as a car-only culture clogged by bad air and traffic, but as a global metropolis leading the way with equity, multi-mobility, universal accessibility, international cultural gems, and infrastructure that make LA a great world city. 

And we have a big idea to make this happen. The “Festival Trail”--a 22-mile-long multi-modal, pedestrianized “linear park” to connect key venues, cultural attractions, and urban cores to create a new social infrastructure of investment and celebration from South LA to Frogtown and from San Dimas to Santa Monica. It is centered around the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor–a project that Move LA fought for years to fund–and represents a historic investment in infrastructure in a community that has experienced disinvestment and where cyclists are twice as likely to be in a traffic collision than in the rest of LA. The Festival Trail becomes a lasting legacy for Angelenos to enjoy, one that we hope becomes quintessentially LA.

 

Move LA developed this concept with Somos, Agency Artifact, FASTLinkDTLA, and other notable community organizations, advocates, leaders, businesses, and others who believe the legacy from the Olympics should address the biggest systemic challenges facing Los Angeles today: housing, transportation, safety, universal access and public space/public health. 

We have been getting a ton of interest in the idea over the past few weeks–from Alissa Walker writing about it in her fantastic “Torched” newsletter to her article in Dwell Magazine and interview in SLATE to naturalist and teacher Jason Wise producing this fun video.

For us, this “big idea” is nothing new. It was embedded in our mission since Denny Zane founded Move LA in 2008 and we passed Measure R. Metro has been making investments in creating a world-class transportation system for Angelenos for more than 16 years, and will continue to build transformative projects approved by voters in Measure R and M long after 2028. When Metro proposed its ‘Twenty Eight by ‘28 Initiative’--a list of projects that the agency would prioritize for 2028; we even campaigned in 2019 for another project to be added–enhanced service, fare-free student passes, low fares, and more accessible transit for people with disabilities!

What sets the Festival Trail proposal apart is it can be completed by 2028 because it links together infrastructure projects that are already built, or will be built by 2028 like the K Line, Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor, Figueroa Corridor, and LA River Bike Path. And it creates new opportunities for public art, affordable housing, and “place-keeping,” connecting spaces like Destination Crenshaw to the rest of the LA region along an easy-to-navigate trail without having to get into a car.

The Festival Trail creates opportunities for Angelenos to celebrate in their own community, uplifting local artists and street vendors. It also builds more affordable housing near transit, reduces traffic, cleans our air, and deepens the connection we have with our community and environment.  It also brings our communities together, reminding us that we are interconnected, and that we can get to know our neighbors without getting there by car.

We’ve created four “experiences”—the Art Walk, the Party Train, the Fiesta Bloc, and the River Adventure—and a “kit-of-parts” that appeal to Los Angeles's diverse cultural and environmental diversity. It is all connected by one visual and clear wayfinding experience–one that isn’t specific to a particular language because, according to the U.S. Census, 224 languages are spoken in L.A. (and even more during the Olympics).

What could this look like for Angelenos? I mentioned the Culver City Watch Party for the Closing Ceremony and created a video that gives a sense for the “place-making” aspect where people come out in their community to enjoy friends, food, drink, games, and a great show. 

It also uplifts the infrastructure that we have already built and makes it better—less confusing, more interconnected, accessible, and a better experience for Angelenos so that–frankly speaking–we don’t have to feel like we need to leave LA during the Olympics in 2028! Instead, we can stay and play and watch the Olympics and Paralympics with our neighbors in venues all over LA County.

Take the Figueroa Corridor, where the highest concentration of Olympic and Paralympic events of any games has been announced. These include events at the 1932 Pool in Exposition Park, the LA Coliseum, USC Galen Center, LA Convention Center, and L.A. Live, as well as USC Village, which will house journalists, coaches, and others. This corridor will see 10 of the most popular Olympic sports, such as diving, gymnastics, athletics, para athletics, para badminton, and wheelchair fencing.

 

The Figueroa Corridor is already “transit-rich”—from the A/E Line light rail (which runs from Santa Monica to East LA and Long Beach to Azusa, respectively) to the J/Silver Line (Bus Rapid Transit that runs to the South Bay and through DTLA); a dedicated bus lane for multiple bus routes; a grade-separated bike lane; and pedestrian islands, bus shelters, zebra crosswalks, and other pedestrian amenities.

With millions of ticketholders for the 10 events in this corridor, the number of people will mean that driving a vehicle–any vehicle–may become difficult. If you have ever been to sold-out LAFC, Angel City, or Laker games, you know how they are practically swarming with people going in every direction!

Closing Figueroa down to any car traffic may make the most sense because you won’t be able to get anywhere fast…and if you do, the cost of parking won’t be worth it. As a walk, bike, roll, and public transit corridor along the Festival Trail, you can move more people, clean the air, create less traffic, and allow bikes, buses, and rail to run smoothly with clearly delineated areas for pedestrians to move safely. Rideshare can be accessed at designated locations to allow for easy access for these vehicles (like at Dodgers Stadium). Metro BikeShare (docked) and dockless bikes can be set up in designated areas to follow clear routes, creating the least amount of conflict. Street vendors can sell their goods, and local businesses can thrive. The Figueroa Corridor becomes a lasting model for future events–a legacy for Angelenos to enjoy.

 Just as Simone Biles practiced endlessly and mentally prepared herself to win Gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, we can do the same. By working together across county and city lines, Los Angeles can be awarded the gold for a world-class transportation network that works for everyone while creating a lasting legacy for Angelenos to enjoy!