A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Enci of illuminateLA

Basics: Actress-photographer-designer who’s in her “late 20s to early 30s” and lives in Hollywood with her husband. Child-free.

Car free since: November 2006.

Blogging since: Late 2007, when illuminateLA metamorphosed from a website into a blog.

Notable posts:
>> Enci’s pick: A Little Help For Those Who Want to Ride a Bike
>> green LA girl’s pick: I have been fooled by metroRiderLA
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On going car-free….

When I used to drive a car, I used to be very tense and after hours of being stuck in traffic, I used to be so tired for the rest of the day that I was pretty much defunct. I had no energy to do anything or go anywhere.

Two years ago I did a commercial audition in Santa Monica and the drive back home took over 2 hours. That’s the day that I told myself to never ever drive to SM anymore, only go there via bike and that’s what I’ve done ever since.

How she gets around.

My primary mode of transportation is my bike. I sometimes hop on the bus or the red line, but I like to always have my bike with me. With my bike I never feel stranded. With my bike I always feel like I have a choice to either ride, or walk, or take public transit.

I get to work, be it acting jobs or photography gigs (I’m also a photographer) via bike and sometimes I get a car if the job is very, very far and if there are no public transportation options.

My husband and I live in Hollywood where it’s easier to be car-free because Hollywood has the Red Line, Dash bus, Metro bus and there are plenty of shops, theaters, and stores that are easy to walk or ride to. [We] own a VW Westfalia bus but it’s not running unfortunately. The clutch and the breaks are shot and need fixing.

I still drive about once a month. I either borrow from a friend who works just a few blocks from me or I rent a car for a day or two. One afternoon I was riding out towards Santa Monica and my agent called me and said, “Enci, the good news is that I have and audition for you at Universal. The bad news is that you have to be there within the next hour.”

I could have never made it in time to Universal from the west side, so I rode up to a car rental place (LA has one every few blocks) rented a car for a day, left my bike there and made it in time for my audition.

And I used that day that I had the car to do my shopping for can foods, cat litter, milk, and all that is usually too heavy to carry. I also use the days that I have a car to take my batteries, light bulbs, electronics, and any hazardous materials to the recycling center.

On the upsides and downsides….

The financial benefits of going car-free are pretty huge. Also the convenience of parking is enormous. I can park my bike in most cases right outside the door of my destination, or even better, I can take my bike inside with me. I don’t need to hassle with parking tickets, tow-zones, street sweeping, etc. I love it. Also, since I’ve been riding a bike, I’m a more relaxed person because I can cut through the traffic with ease and if I decide to take public transportation, I can enjoy the scenery, or a good book or I can study for my next role.

As much as the parking convenience is an upside, it also is a downside sometimes. There are not many bike racks and if there are any, the chances of them being up to safety standard are pretty slim. I can’t take my bike always inside, especially not to auditions which means that my bike is subject to tempering or theft.

Another downside of biking is that I gained weight…in muscles. :-) Okay, so maybe it’s not a downside but I outgrew a lot of my pants because my thighs got bigger and all of a sudden my pants didn’t fit anymore. So I made this downside into a positive thing and I went on a shopping spree :-)

On car-dependent people.

People generally think I’m pretty gutsy and brave to ride in LA traffic and I often get asked by strangers or by friends how I can ride in heels and dressed up. There is a preconception that I should be wearing tights and bike shoes. Or sweats and tennis shoes.

Sometimes when I tell people that I have a rental they are surprised to know that I have a license. That I can drive. And that I can drive a stick-shift :-).

Sometimes people offer a ride out of goodwill, but sometimes it feels like they are pitying me, so I have to reassure them that I love riding my bike and that I’m okay on the road in the middle of the night. I do sometimes bum rides when I’m lazy or when it rains but I love riding! I love the air, the motion, the ease of navigating through the city.

I love to ride! There are days that are rougher then others but a bad day never discourages me. It makes me stronger and it makes me more adamant to spread the word amongst motorists that they should be careful around humans, not just other cars. Cyclists are vulnerable, we don’t have the metal protection around us. We are using the streets with the same goal as drivers: we are trying to get from A to B safely, efficiently and alive.

Weekly I hear motorists point out cyclists’ bad behaviors on the road and about how cyclists need to do this and that. But I never hear motorists tell other motorists how they just killed another child, or another cyclist or a pedestrian. I don’t hear motorists complain about drivers running reds, cutting off other people, making illegal turns and stops, etc. But I always hear these complaints about cyclists. I wish that would stop and I wish people would talk about how we can protect each other and how we can safely co-exists as opposed to blame and attack.

Advice for the car-free curious.

Dress up and look good. People are much more aware of you than if you dress down. Drivers are giving me much more room on the road when I wear heels then if I dress down. You can be green and look good.

Cyclists are safer on the street than on the sidewalk. Cyclists are safer riding with traffic than head-on (riding against traffic is called suicide riding for a reason and riding against traffic prevents you from seeing any traffic signs.) Ride like you drive, follow all traffic rules.

If you have a nice commuter bike like the Flying Pigeon that can hold your bag in the front basket, make sure that you secure your bag in that basket with something so that nobody will be able to grab your hand bag.
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green LA girl’s notes: So there you have it — Even those whose work requires a lot of random travel across the city can still be car-free. Of course, those who work at home like me may have it quite a bit easier — though I do get out to a lot of events.

So far, we’ve had one biking girl who’s put on weight (Enci), one who’s lost weight (RVMB), and one who hasn’t changed a bit (me). We all agree on one thing though: Biking in heels is A-Ok.

Read illuminateLA for Los Angeles culture, the community and the Ride that takes you there. Enci started the blog to promote her friends’ theatre and art shows, but the blog slowly evolved as she got to know the bike culture. Now, in addition to artsy events, Enci posts green tips and other topics interesting to her. Says Enci: “Of course, every event has bike and/or metro directions posted. There is no car directions on my site. I want to encourage people to think outside the box and to get around by foot, by bike or by public transportation.”

Photo via enciperforms.com

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