The Pathfinders: Faces in CicLAvia

Joe Linton:  The Green Man in the Middle 

Photo by Rodrigo Mejia

Joe Linton is a consultant for CicLAvia

There's a million families in CicLAvia. After the first run in October of 2010, the L.A. City Council and the Department of Transportation hailed the efforts of these groups for selling them on such an odd concept: sideline motorists in favor of cyclists.

"It's about public space and bringing Angelenos together," said Eco Village resident Joe Linton, standing before an surprisingly excited City Council days after the first CicLAvia ride.  

"[It's about] experiencing our city, seeing each other, seeing our space and just having that civic pride in our city," he said. 

As long as there has been talks of developing CicLAvia, there has been Linton, an affable and tireless crusader at the center, drawing bodies into focus with looping narratives on L.A.'s messy history with public land and why there needs to be a change. 

"I've been telling people just grab a chair just and check out, like, Los Angeles going by," said Linton.

One his earliest and enduring missions has been to map Los Angeles' bodies of water, including the river and winding tributaries--elements that seem obscure in the grey jumble of freeways and wide avenues that make up the city. 

Five years before the city adopted CicLAvia's plan, Linton wrote "Down by the Los Angeles River: Friends of Los Angeles Rivers Official Guide," a body of work that is cited by the city as resource for visitors to explore the often overlooked L.A. River, it's walkways, bike paths, and notable concentrations of local wildlife.  

He keeps tabs of his explorations at L.A. Creek Freak, a blog started by Linton and Jessica Hall as a hub for river advocacy and efforts to re-enliven the river as point of pride for residents--something that came in handy when the call for CicLAvia arose. 

At his home in Eco Village, an experiment in sustainable living in Korea Town --replete with six grey water systems, a swarming jungle of vegetation and a rooftop covered with beehives-- Linton told Steetsblog that he didn't have the time to mount a bicycle at the first CicLAvia, instead spending his time guiding other riders and repairing tires at one of the many aid stations. 

But, he said, you needn't have to bike to enjoy the fruits of that certain kind of ecstasy that comes with seeing thousands of Angelenos moving freely in a city marked by congestion and little public space. 

"I've been telling people just grab a chair just and check out, like, Los Angeles going by," said Linton. 

Linton has been busy gathering feedback for Partour on their South L.A. Bike Map, riding along on exploratory rides through Watts. The map will be unveiled the Friday before the April 15th CicLAvia ride.