On July 2nd, Streets Are For Everyone celebrated FREEDOM on the newest open street: a stretch of Griffith Park Drive, which amounts to about three-quarters of a mile from Travel Town to Mt. Hollywood Drive.

This closure is directly connected to SAFE’s #ToNotThroughGriffithPark campaign, which was started after cyclist Andrew Jelmert was hit and killed on Crystal Springs Drive in Griffith Park, and has led city officials to temporarily close this stretch of Griffith Park Drive — eliminating all vehicles except for essential park vehicles and will help to reclaim the park for the community and make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians that use the road.

About a month after Jelmert was killed and the petition to Griffith Park to public vehicles began, we conducted a speed study along the stretch of Crystal Springs Drive where he was struck and we found that drivers were traveling an average of 36 miles per hour, slightly faster than the rush-hour speed on the 5 Freeway. We even clocked some drivers moving through the park at more than 60 miles per hour.

These improvements in Griffith Park are part of a larger national discussion of rethinking transportation in the face of major crises.

July 2nd of Independence Day weekend was the perfect time to celebrate these improvements. Working with our partners, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and Streets For All, we gathered hundreds of cyclists, runners, and equestrians to celebrate Griffith Park Drive’s transformation into a bicycle and pedestrian path. This is a small but significant step in efforts to make Griffith Park safer for pedestrians, cyclists, hikers, equestrians, families, and kids.

The purpose of the event was not only to enjoy the open streets but to show the city that this pilot closure should become permanent. We want the freedom to move and play within Griffith Park without fear of speeding cars.

This advancement is a small beginning but is definitely not the end of our #ToNotThroughGriffithPark campaign. The next step is to further bring our speed safety survey to the city’s attention, so Crystal Springs Drive can be addressed as well.

Check out ABC 7’s piece on our July 2nd Celebrate Freedom event and stay tuned for updates!