Eric Richardson [Flickr]

Cyclists cross Broadway on their way to City Hall this morning.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — This morning Council President Eric Garcetti led several dozen cyclists on a ride from Hollywood to Downtown for the kickoff day of "Car-Free Fridays," a new campaign by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) to get commuters out of their four-wheeled rides and onto just two.

Organizations like Metro and LACBC have long participated in Bike to Work day, a once-a-year affair held in May. That's not often enough for LACBC, though, and the group wants to see commuters commit to making their way in by bike at least once a month.

The campaign is targeted at both new riders and current ones alike. "If you already ride or walk your commute, pair up with a co-worker or classmate and show them the joys of car-freedom this Friday, and every last Friday of the month. If your New Year's resolution included reducing your carbon footprint with a human-powered commute, this is the perfect day to give it a try." said Jen Klausner, Executive Director of LACBC, in a press release the group put out.

According to statistics in the release, riding a bicycle for just 10 miles a week can save at least $520 a year, shed calories, work to reduce California's emissions from cars and light trucks which are the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in California.