Restaurants, shops and food trucks in downtown Los Angeles may experience a boost in sales Sunday from bicyclists and runners exploring the streets at the car-free event CicLAvia, said researchers at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Businesses along Wilshire Boulevard saw a 10 percent bump in sales when they participated in a similar event in June, according to a study from the School of Public Affairs released Tuesday. This corresponds to a roughly $50,000 increase on the day of the event, the study shows.
As part of the popular L.A. event, CicLAvia participants biked, walked or jogged on closed streets of different L.A. neighborhoods in an effort to promote alternate forms of transportation. CicLAvia events take place several times a year and usually attract more than 100,000 participants.
“CicLAvia has done a lot to change people’s perspective on public space,” said Benton Heimsath, the lead graduate student researcher. “It’s a big deal for Los Angeles … because people can see (the city) in an entirely different way.”
Researchers used data from the June event on Wilshire Boulevard to compile their results. About 150,000 people are expected to attend the next CicLAvia event Sunday, which will take place downtown, said Robert Gard, a spokesman for CicLAvia.
Gard said he thinks businesses will see the same increase in sales on Sunday reported by the Luskin study.
Stores and restaurants that offered discounts or put up decorations for the event saw the greatest increases in sales, said Madeline Brozen, a research project manager of the study.
“(CicLAvia) allows people to experience the street and neighborhoods on a human level,” Brozen said. “When you’re walking or biking, you just notice more.”
She said many participants pass Wilshire Boulevard businesses in their cars every day, but may have only decided to step inside during the bicycling event.
The researchers gathered sales data from 41 businesses and 14 food trucks, representing about one-third of storefront businesses and a half of food trucks along the 6-mile route, Heimsath said.
“It was good to see the results were what we would expect,” said Brozen, who regularly researches non-motorized transportation, such as bicycling, as program director of the UCLA Complete Streets Initiative. “We expected sales to rise, but it’s good to see hard numbers to support it.”
Heimsath, who said he joined Luskin as a pedestrian advocate, worked with about 10 staff members who spent the day speaking to business owners and gathering data on sales receipts.
“The biggest lesson learned was (that businesses) should reach out physically and engage participants by going out to the street,” Brozen said. “(During the ride), everybody’s riding on the street, so the sidewalk is a buffer.”
Brozen said about 30 food trucks, some that would not have been open otherwise, came to the event and generated an estimated additional $50,000 worth of revenue.
Brozen shared the study with groups such as the downtown Los Angeles Business Improvement District so businesses can learn from the results.