A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Paula of Righteous Velo-Metal Broad

Basics: 30-year-old medical biller in Van Nuys. Lives with a roommate. Child-free.

Car free since: May 2008.

Blogging since: April 2008.

Notable posts:
>> Paula’s pick: The menacing skunk
>> green LA girl’s pick: Do I make men feel less macho when I pass them on my bike?
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On going car-free….

I guess you could say it was really easy for me to embrace the car free lifestyle because I was only a car owner for a little over a year. Before I got a car, when I was a bus rider and only occasional bike rider, I NEEDED a car so bad. I wanted nothing more than to just drive. I was obsessed. I still see so many people on the bus who just talk about how they hate taking the bus and NEED a car.

I wanted a car so damn bad but got a hard dose of reality when I got one and found out how stressful it was to own one. Not only does it cost a lot of money to keep it running (gas, DMV, insurance, maintenance) driving it is really stressful, especially when everyone else out on the 405 is fucking crazy. People confuse needs and wants all the time.

We in Los Angeles are such a car-obsessed culture. I only got my SUV a few days before turning 29 and all throughout my adult life, when I was a bus rider and occasional bike rider, when people would find out I didn’t have a car (or a driver’s licence) they would look at me as if I was some sort of freak.

My father gave me this SUV when he realized that I was VERY serious about getting a divorce. I had just got my drivers license (when I was 28) and my dad was proud of me and gave me an old SUV.

That old SUV was a piece of CRAP gas guzzler. So many components in it did not work and it was in a sad state. It would have cost nearly $1500 just to get it up and running. That coupled with gas prices made me realize it would be more cost effective to give it up.

When I got my SUV, I started going to the gym, and in that ENTIRE YEAR of driving, I only lost 20 pounds and it was VERY hard (and expensive). I figured getting out there and walking and bicycling is just a more healthier option. Well, right after kicking my ex out and deciding to get a divorce (it took nearly two years to get a divorce), I lost 60 pounds. That was just from taking the bus, walking and riding an old target bike just a couple of miles a day.

The health benefits are great. I wasn’t ever really one to have road rage but bicycling everywhere has mellowed me out big time. I can have a very stressful day at work but those worries leave as soon as I get on my bike. The endorphins from riding are better than any drug. I’m still full figured but I have a nice shape about me, so the exercise is great (I don’t have to go to the gym anymore). All I need to do is find a good man to ride with me.

I was even hit on by someone a couple of weeks ago (when I was on my way to LA Flying Pigeon to get a new bike). This guy kept saying that he missed his car (was in an accident) and hated taking the bus. He also said that I was very pretty and didn’t NEED to ride a bicycle. That I was already thin and should at least try a motorcycle, because it has a motor and is sexy. He was so not my type for a few reasons 1. I am not thin, 2. I love riding, it relieves stress and 3. I do not need ANYONE to tell me what I should and should not be doing. It’s a huge turn off.

I might add that people who spend a lot of time talking shit about having to take the bus really get on my nerves. Sure it can suck sometimes, but the bus, rail and subway is pretty awesome and I remember a few years ago when it was worse. They’ve made some great improvements to their service in recent years, and I wish I wasn’t so damn paranoid about taking my beautiful flying pigeon on the bus (it’s just so big and heavy and I’m afraid it will fall; some of these bus drivers are crazy drivers).

How she gets around.

My bicycle is my transport. I ride 15 miles each way [to work]. If I am sick, I am able to carpool with a coworker who lives close.

My roommate is my brother and I do not borrow his car. I’ve been thinking about renting, like Enci sometimes does, but I really don’t want to. My bike has a basket and it holds what I need.

On the upsides and downsides….

Unexpectedly easy: doing everyday errands fast and efficiently while getting a nice workout. Unexpectedly hard: motivating yourself to go out and run errands after commuting to work ALL WEEK LONG.

It’s just figuring out how to deal with buying large objects and hauling them around. I seriously need a bike trailer or a cargo bike. I mean, pannier bags are great for shopping but I do not want to have to rely on asking my brother for a ride to go and carry a big object.

Another obstacle is just finding other people who are open to the car free lifestyle. I imagine a bike ride for a date would be nice — the hard part is just finding a guy who thinks the same thing. Oh, I’m talking about a man, not some young kid who thinks drinking a can of beer while riding is a good night. :S oy vey.

It’s not exactly easy to go car free [in Van Nuys] because the closest Trader Joe’s is 5 miles away. I don’t like the grocery stores in my area. And this neighborhood is not so great. But really, all I needed to do was get over myself and get on my bike. I can easily ride where ever I need to go; all I need to do is get to the orange line bike path and it’s smooth riding. When you are off the bike and thinking about going somewhere, that’s when it feels like it’s HARD. But once you’re riding, all misconceptions flee.

I get so many catcalls and obscene things yelled at me. It doesn’t matter what I wear. I can be in a dress or sweats, I will still get harassed. I mean, it sure as hell felt safer enclosed in my SUV as this would happen less often. But it happens a lot when I’m either on my bike or walking. But it’s not going to stop me. There is danger everywhere. If I worried about every little thing that CAN happen, I would never leave my apartment.

Advice for the car-free curious.

Know the rules of the road, carry protection (U-Lock, pepper spray), be prepared (patch kit, tire pump), know how to take care of your bike (research your local bike shop for free bike maintenance classes), use tinted moisturizer with a good SPF factor and do not be afraid to wear heels while riding (they wont slip off the pedals like flats).

Do not be afraid to look like a normal woman when riding your bike. You DO NOT have to be skinny or wear bright yellow spandex and ride a carbon fiber bike to be a “real cyclist” and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Pannier bags are great for shopping, fo realz.
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green LA girl’s notes: I’m slightly embarrassed to say I don’t even own panniers, U-Lock, pepper spray, patch kit, or portable tire pump — much less carry them with me — nor do I really know how to maintain my bike. However, I do wear sunscreen and heels….

My sense is that Paula has a tougher go of it than I do, because she lives in a less bike-friendly, tougher neighborhood. My grocery store’s 3 blocks away so I don’t even need to get on a bike, and while the cat calls are annoying, they tend not to be as obscene, frequent or persistent in Santa Monica as they are in some other ‘hoods.

Luckily, Paula’s clearly also a much stronger cyclist — I think I’ve biked 15 miles ROUNDTRIP for Green Drinks once…. I’m guessing the fact that I haven’t lost an ounce since I started biking’s somewhat related to my wimpy cycling –

Follow RVMB’s bicycling adventures on her blog, which often features bike porn (not actually porn. SFW).

Photo via RVMB

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