Reducing time spent in the car is very important to the family of Culver City Mayor Thomas Small. He enjoys riding bikes around town with his wife Joanna and children Lyra and Joey.
- Culver City mayor and his family are cycling enthusiasts
- Recently, the family took part in first CicLAvia of 2019
- Mayor hopes cycling culture will become more popular
"You can walk and bike everywhere, we hardly get in our cars," said Mayor Small.
Lyra even takes her bike to school, while Joey hops on the bus. Both options are easy in Culver City. Mayor Small works to keep it that way.
"Having that good bike infrastructure and having protected bike lanes is so important for families like mine. Because you know you are safe, know you are comfortable and you can stay together. It makes it better to ride bikes," said the Mayor.
The family rode their bikes to the first CicLAvia of 2019, a bike friendly event where the streets are shut down to allow cyclists to ride freely.
Mayor Small is happy to bring the event to his city. It goes hand in hand with his goal to promote bike riding and bike safety.
The City of Culver City has new initiatives to make it even easier for residents to take their bikes around. A new Metro bike hub was recently unveiled at the Culver City station. Now riders can leave their bikes safely before taking the train.
Mayor Small also hopes to bring the Metro bike share system to Culver City.
"Bike share enables anybody to jump on a bike any time they want. They are parked around the city at their different stations and it is something that has worked fantastically around the world," said Mayor Small.
Hopefully, soon it will come to Culver City. A vote is being held in June.
Mayor Small hopes bike culture continues to grow in Culver City and across SoCal.
"It helps our environment, it cleans our air, it saves our energy, and saves our planet. And it's a great way to be healthy," said Mayor Small.