The Great American Boycott 2007 protest will take place on Tuesday, May 1st.  Traffic impacts in Downtown Los Angeles may be felt on any street within the area bounded by Cesar Chavez Avenue to the north, Alameda Street to the east, Washington Boulevard to the south and Flower Street to the west beginning at 8:00 am in the morning and lasting throughout the day.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has developed plans which will provide appropriate response to various situations if they occur.  Any streets within the specified boundaries may be closed as warranted by the size of the protest.  Last year’s event attracted in excess of 400,000 protesters and this year’s turnout could be the same.  Since detour routes may be complex and congestion may be severe, motorists are encouraged to avoid this entire area if possible.

Protesters will assemble at the intersection of Broadway and Olympic Boulevard beginning at 8:30 am.  The protest march is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:00 am.  From the assembly area, the march will proceed north on Broadway to 1st Street, east on 1st Street to City Hall south lawn, where the demonstrations and speeches will take place.  The event is scheduled to disband starting at 3:30 pm.

While the organizers have indicated that approximately 50,000 participants will begin to assemble for the march at 8:30 am, and will disperse at 3:30 pm, many roadways in Downtown Los Angeles will be impacted for most of the day.  It is impossible to predict either the actual participation level or the locations where participants will choose to join the protest or demonstration.

Traffic impacts may be severe in Downtown Los Angeles during the morning rush hour, as participants begin to arrive, continuing throughout the day.  It is difficult to determine exactly where congestion will occur.  During previous marches on this route, many participants have chosen to join the route at various points, rather than meet at the assembly area.  While many participants will choose to drive personal vehicles, most are expected to utilize public transportation: Metro Rail Blue and Gold Lines, MTA and other regional buses, etc.  Many will pass through Union Station on their way to the assembly area.

Well before the march starts, roadways surrounding the assembly and demonstration areas must be secured and all vehicles parked on the route in violation of the temporary parking prohibitions, must be towed for public safety.  Parking will also be prohibited on detour routes to reduce congestion.  LADOT will aggressively enforce all temporary parking signs, beginning at 4 am on Tuesday.  It costs $70 for the citation and $150 to $185 to recover a towed vehicle.

Please be advised that street closures are dictated by the size of participants.  Whenever the number of participants exceeds the capacity of the sidewalks, the roadways must be closed to ensure pedestrian safety.  This usually occurs well before the scheduled beginning of most demonstration marches because the assembly area is limited in size.

LADOT staffing for this event is expected to include approximately 55 engineers and over 100 Traffic Officers to manage the traffic.  LAPD will also provide Police Officers to ensure public safety.

Judge John Aiso between Temple Street and 1st Street; Temple Street between Alameda Street and Los Angeles Street will be closed at 5:00 am.  These streets will remain closed until participants have cleared the area.

Assembly area street closures are likely to begin at 7 am: Broadway between 9th Street and Olympic Boulevard; Olympic Boulevard between Main Street and Hill Street.

Prior to the beginning of the March, every effort will be made to keep the streets between 7th Street and Temple Street as clear as possible, to assist commuters in getting to work on time.  At approximately 9:00 am, LADOT engineers will begin securing the march route.

The map below shows the March route in pink, and has areas in Downtown in three colors, depicting roadways which are likely to be closed depending on the number of participants.  (Click on the map to view it in pdf.)  If less than 15,000 participants arrive, only the streets within the green areas will be closed.  If 15,000 to 150,000 participants arrive, the streets within the gold area will also be closed.  If more than 150,000 participants arrive, the closures must be expanded throughout the blue area.  If a high level of participation develops, freeway on and off ramps may be closed by the California Highway Patrol (as shown on the map) to ensure safety and reduce congestion.  The Hill Street off-ramps from the Pasadena (110) Freeway may also have to be closed.  Parking within the gold and green areas will be prohibited during the event.

It is hoped that closures will be limited to streets in the green area, but it is expected that streets in the gold area will have to be closed to ensure safety.  Following the passage of participants, streets will be reopened, and traffic signal timing adjustments will be implemented to flush out the congested streets as quickly as possible.

LADOT is committed to reopening streets along the route as quickly as it is safe to do so.  We regret that we do not have sufficient staff resources available to provide individualized travel and parking information to concerned citizens.  Please advise your friends, relatives and associates to plan for this special event.