![An aerial view of early morning light casting shadows of bicyclists taking part in ArroyoFest.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4dec66d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1650x1100+968+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb8%2F5f%2F67d8ce8c4b0ca1bd3e752525b5f3%2F1366002-me-2023-arroyofest-12-ajs.jpg)
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A rare occurrence unfolded Sunday morning on the Arroyo Seco Parkway: No cars were allowed.
Instead, the stretch of the 110 Freeway that snakes its way through South Pasadena and Northeast Los Angeles — usually crammed with motorists — was people-powered and reserved for pedestrians, bicyclists and anyone else who wanted to explore the area from a new perspective.
The celebration known as 626 Golden Streets ArroyoFest is a sequel to the first ArroyoFest, held 20 years ago.
Hosted by Active San Gabriel Valley and presented by Metro, the free, family-friendly event shut down six miles of the freeway and local streets from 7 to 11 a.m. Pedestrians and bicyclists took over the roads, similar to the open-streets concept behind the car-free CicLAvia events. The emphasis for ArroyoFest is on foot traffic and allowing people to explore the neighborhoods of Lincoln Heights, Cypress Park, Highland Park, Hermon, South Pasadena and Pasadena.
![Thousands of bicyclists, rollerbladers, skateboarders, walkers and runners enjoy the Arroyo Seco Parkway during ArroyoFest.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f5d38e1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x3033+0+0/resize/2000x1444!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd4%2Fe6%2F921ed217414fbd4a01fe91a9d3de%2F1366002-me-2023-arroyofest-31-ajs.jpg)
![People enjoy the route by foot and bike at ArroyoFest, where the 110 Freeway was closed off to cars.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/986674b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6764x4509+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1c%2F8e%2F66192a9c41da8a17b76436d43dd8%2F1367805-me-2023-arroyofest-003.jpg)
When cyclists took over the 110 Freeway between downtown L.A. and Pasadena, we asked them what they’d change about riding bikes in Los Angeles.
![Thousands of bicyclists, rollerbladers, skateboarders, walkers and runners enjoy the Arroyo Seco Parkway during ArroyoFest.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5570b3e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x2800+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdf%2Fee%2Fbf04ba764c25b6c2b5e382bfa4a8%2F1366002-me-2023-arroyofest-33-ajs.jpg)
![Rollerbladers Jenny Renderos and Veronica Rico pose for a rare photo in the middle of the 110 Freeway.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9bdaf87/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x2800+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fec%2F71%2Fa9af9d944bb3b9c81c694b570502%2F1366002-me-2023-arroyofest-22-ajs.jpg)
![An aerial early morning view of bicyclists, rollerbladers, skateboarders, walkers and runners taking part in ArroyoFest.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b0ce5cd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3675x2900+0+0/resize/2000x1578!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fae%2Fd7842f174e3da49ab719ab9b5083%2F1366002-me-2023-arroyofest-26-ajsc.jpg)
![Alex Trepanier, 35, rides his pennyfarthing, the same bike he rode 20 years ago at ArroyoFest when he was a teenager.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/54c814c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x2698+0+0/resize/2000x1285!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F8e%2Fb0d4074b46c98fe184ec991c0718%2F1366002-me-2023-arroyofest-24-ajs.jpg)
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