Is a carless L.A. possible?

As someone who has taken to the streets these past few months (LABO office is just a few blocks from my house), I'm interested in the progress being made by CicLAvia, a coalition of bicycle advocates, transportation experts, artists and academics that hopes to make Sundays virtually car-free in parts of L.A. The group's first "open street festival" will be happening on Sept. 12 when seven miles of streets will be closed off (except for pedestrians and bike riders) from Boyle Heights to downtown to East Hollywood. CicLAvia says the city has agreed to cover expenses for traffic re-routing and control, police, and emergency medical (sounds like a considerable chunk of change), while the group is responsible for putting it all together. Which means they're looking for contributions (here's the link). They would like to make this a recurring program - similar festivals have been held in SF, NY and Portland. (Unsolicited advice: Find a new name.)