A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Lindsey Darden of Adventures of a Car-Less Valley Girl in Los Angeles

Basics: A 26-year-old freelance music and entertainment journalist. Lives in the Lake Balboa area of the San Fernando Valley with two roommates, who have a car. Child-free.

Car free since: always, with a short break in 2005

Blogging since: Jan. 2010.

Notable post: Love is in the air: “Lately I have been one with my bicycle, and it’s been more than a satisfactory experience, lack of fenders and all…. I don’t know exactly what it is. But there’s a good energy in the air, and I’m enjoying it.”
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On going car-free….

Technically, I last had a car of my own in 2005. But to be honest, the time I owned a car was so short (under a year) that I never really counted it. I got my driver’s license when I was 18 but have been primarily taken public transportation since I was fourteen to get to work and school. Life kind of decided to get rid of the car for me. Since I had one for less than a year I never grew really dependent upon having one.

A car’s a bit of a price-y investment at this time. Between gas, insurance, and a regular car payment, it can get really steep (but you don’t need for me to really tell you that). I worked as an insurance agent for a time and was able to see first-hand that the rates were increasing in California. While it would be “easier” at times to have a car to get from Point A to Point B, I’ve been able to save so much money (and find other things to do with it!).

Besides, I worked, lived, and played so close to local bus lines and the Orange and Red lines and have friends that like my company enough to give me a lift from time to time, so I figured — why not see how long it lasts to go without for a while? (more…)

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A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Jessica Meaney of Safe Routes to School in California

Basics: A 30-something who works in transportation policy for the national advocacy group Safe Routes to School National Partnership. Lives in Echo Park with “the cutest cat ever.” Child free.

Car free since: “pretty much always”

Blogging since: Oct. 2010.

Notable post: Support Complete Streets in California: “No more streets like … this foot path with a utility pole in the middle of the walkway!”
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On going car-free….

I had access to family car in high school but that was it. I moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and have never owned a car — except during one of the bus strikes when my very cool boss lent me an extra car her family had for a few weeks. I felt pretty lucky. Thankfully –- at the second bus strike, while I didn’t have a car –- I could catch Foothill Transit to go to school at Cal State LA –- as only the Metro buses were on strike. Those strikes were crazy long.

I think where you live and work are make or break deals in going car free. There’s a group in the OC that is working on making sure land use strategies and affordable housing policies include quality day care –- That is so rad. They are ahead of their time. One of the biggest barriers for parents being car free, I would guess, is getting kids to daycare and then to work on time and with ease. Having employer or neighborhood based quality childcare is so overlooked, it seems.

How she gets around

I get around mostly by public transit – but I walk and bike a ton too. I wear a pedometer and track my steps on an excel spreadsheet -– so I’m always consciously making an effort to make sure I’m hitting 10K steps a day. I work in the field of bicycle and pedestrian policy -– also called Active Transportation –- so I’m a bit more into this stuff than the average person, I would guess. But I highly recommend getting a pedometer –- It’s so much fun to keep track of how many steps you’re getting –- at least I found it has been. (more…)

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A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Katie Bell of Siempre Domingo

Basics: 26-year-old food writer slash restaurant server. Lives in Ocean Park, right between Santa Monica and Venice, with a chef boyfriend with whom she shares 5 bicycles. Child free.

Car free since: May 1, 2009.

Blogging since: Aug. 2009.

Notable post: On the Culver City Farmers’ Market: “i found beets, a gorgeous little bouquet of radishes, and these funny little lemon cucumbers that smelled like lemonade. i also somehow accidentally found myself in possession of a spinach/artichoke/mozzarella empanada, which i made quick work on.”
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On going car-free….

I was first car-free out of necessity — the white dino, my world traveling, adventure seeking, beast of a ‘98 Subaru Outback died. Her timing belt broke and it was going to cost almost twice her value to fix it. My boyfriend and I already biked a fair bit as we both worked on the Westside but I wasn’t really financially prepared to buy a new car, so we decided to beat street for a little while.

It started out as almost a default decision, definitely not an environmental one. Which is funny because I’m pretty green – I’m a long-time vegetarian (22 years) and very concerned with environmental issues (especially regarding food) and when I did have a car I would worry about driving to the grocery store versus walking… but I came to being car-less by accident, I never meant to “take a stand” or anything.

As it went on I started really embracing being a bike commuter and I’m more and more proud of the fact and I really hope to never be the same kind of car owner as I was in the future. I do think I will buy a car again sometime but I want to maintain the outlook that being car-less has given me and not fall back into the LA routine of driving to the bodega down the block because I’m too lazy to unlock my bike. I’ve come to love my bike-centric routine and the independence and clear(er) conscience it affords me.

I got a fixed gear (or track bike), which changed my thoughts on biking a lot from cruising around to being a valid form of transportation. I did some rides with Midnight Ridazz and LA Brakeless and that really broadened my horizons. The first ride I did was from Venice to Chinatown, up to Boyle Heights, and then back to Venice (with a stop for ramen and tacos in the middle). I got back and had a very different perception of both LA and of bike riding. Biking is an amazing way to see a city like LA where it’s so easy to jump on the 10, turn up the radio, and arrive at your destination.

How she gets around

I bike fairly exclusively. When I first went car-free I was working just off Abbot Kinney; it was actually faster for me to get to work on bike than in a car. I now work in Culver City and bike about 14 miles roundtrip each day.

I have two vintage cruiser bikes – a Raleigh and a Schwinn – and a fixed gear mutt, which we lovingly call “the dane” after a similarly black and lanky great dane who passed away. The cruisers have baskets, which is great for the farmer’s market and errands. The Dane is light and fast and makes getting around easy and enjoyable. I got the fixed gear for $260 off Craigslist and have slowly added improvements as I see fit (or as punk kids from Culver City steal parts).

I’ve taken the bus to the airport a few times but rarely use it otherwise. I rent cars when necessary, recently for a job interview in West Hollywood where I didn’t want to show up sweaty and for a week last month when my brother visited so we could get around town and then drive to Napa. There’s an Enterprise satellite office just down the hill from my house. I use carrentals.com and have found it to be really cheap. For example, the week rental with my brother was $129 total. I rent cars rarely enough that I have no problem justifying the cost when I do.

On the upsides and downsides

I am skinny and rich. Well, I’ve lost weight and gotten out of debt. It sounds crazy, but because I fell into being carless it never occurred to me HOW much exercise I would get everyday and HOW much money I would save.

I suddenly woke up one day a few months in and realized that I was in pretty badass shape and that I had saved a really good chunk of money. I figure I’m currently saving $500+ per month (insurance and gas) and that’s not including the car payments I would/will take on for a new car. I don’t pay for oil changes, I don’t pay for car washes, I don’t pay for car maintenance, I don’t pay for parking, I don’t pay for meters, and I don’t get parking tickets anymore. It’s amazing and surprising to me the amount of money I am saving and it makes it possible to do things like rent cars every once in awhile or spring for a taxi when need be.

The Westside is really bike friendly and it’s easy to get around everywhere I need to on bike or foot — within walking distance is the grocery store, bank, Main Street, Abbot Kinney, and the Third Street Promenade. I think LA has lots of bike friendly communities — it’s getting between those communities that is harder.

I don’t feel like I exercise 1-2 hours every day, but I did start to notice when riding got easier, hills got easier, and when the legs of my jeans started getting tight around my calves (pretty sure that last part is not a benefit). I’ve gotten comfortable biking farther and farther distances (my boyfriend recently got a new job in Beverly Hills and now rides 17.4 miles round trip each day) and I actually enjoy it. Biking is great thinking time and I now listen to NPR streaming on my iPhone (I’m a nerd but NPR was one of the things I really missed about driving).

I think there are pros and cons to being car-less in such a car-dependent city. It can be limiting at times and simply tiring at times but overall I think it’s really empowering to be a full-time biker. I’m proud of the amount of biking I do (100 miles a week or more) and of the (lack of) environmental impact that my transportation has. I am one less car on the road at a time when everyone’s talking about global warming and few people are acting on it.

LA is not a bike friendly city. There are days when my 6-mile commute down Venice Blvd genuinely feels like assault. I yell at drivers, something I never would have seen myself doing, but at 9 am on a Tuesday the drivers commuting down Venice Blvd. are half asleep on auto-pilot, they are not looking for bikers, let alone aware that there is a bike lane.

I was doored about three months ago – A woman pulled in front of me, parked in the bike lane, and then opened her door into my face. I was really lucky, just a few scrapes and bruises, a minor concussion, and three torn tendons in my neck from whiplash. I bring this up because lots of people think biking on a major street is dangerous and it is. I wear a helmet and I am a smart, aware, and considerate rider and I think these things coupled with agility that a fast, light bike gives me a lot of control over my safety.

Besides the dangers to biking, the main downside has been that it can sometimes be hard to be spontaneous. If my boyfriend and I have a night off we can’t just decide to visit friends in Los Feliz or go to a new restaurant downtown. Having amazing friends (with cars) makes these issues pretty rare and far between and I love to cook so I swap Target/Home Depot/Ikea runs for batches of cookies or home cooked dinners for Airport runs. It seems to keep all parties happy.

I’ve found places I would never have dreamed of biking to aren’t actually that far. I was shocked the first time I biked East of the 405, and now I do it almost everyday. I think going car-free was unexpectedly easy for me in a lot of ways. The one thing people always say about LA is that you need a car and while I think to really take advantage of LA a car is necessary, it’s simply too big a city to navigate otherwise and lacks a strong public transportation system, it is possible to live and navigate my life well with just two wheels.

Something I have found unexpectedly hard is hiking without a car. I used to hike in Malibu once a week-ish and it was so awesomely accessible – jump in the car, 15 minutes down the PCH, and you’re in the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s not very accessible by bike and I don’t believe there’s public transportation to the parks (I could be wrong?).

Another unexpected thing about having biking be my main mode of transportation is that my attire is limited. If I’m biking to meet friends for a drink I can’t wear heels, or even a short skirt. Is this limiting? Not really. I have awesome friends, and they give me rides often enough so I make sure my dresses, skirts, and heels don’t die a slow death in my closet behind a pile of chuck taylors. I get compliments at work about “not looking like I just biked in” but I also don’t come in with fresh from the salon looking hair. Ever.

On car-dependent people.

People are generally surprised but supportive. The only real stigma I’ve come up against is mainly from Eastside friends that think being car-free makes me “Westside – centric” and that I miss out on all that the Eastside has to offer. Which is true, but the way LA works, most of my Eastsider friends haven’t seen the beach in months. I do wish there was an easier way to head East (the new train? A better ZipCar Network in LA?) but I’m not sure having a car makes East-West travel happen significantly more.

Advice for the car-free curious.

- Start small. Lock up the car and toss the keys in a drawer for a weekend, it’s a great way to really get to know your neighborhood – walk to breakfast, bike around and do your errands. Try biking to work for a week if you’re close enough.

- A good bike makes a big difference. I’ve had vintage cruisers forever but when I got my fixed gear bike a few years ago it was a completely different story. I could never do what I do without my fixed gear, it’s fast and light and makes riding easy and enjoyable. There are nice road bikes and fixed gears/single speeds on craigslist for $150 – $250 and the Bicycle Kitchen (Eastside) or Bikerowave (Westside) are amazing, dirt cheap resources for fixing up a bike, building a bike, and maintaining a bike. The people who volunteer there are ridiculously rad & helpful. Also, investing in a good lock, a good bike bag, and bike lights.

- Find friends! Get together a bike gang with your friends for a Saturday afternoon or night. Find a Midnight Ridazz ride  there are rides for all parts of LA, all levels, and all interests (from booze cruises to crews that get together to ride to gallery openings downtown). Critical Mass is a good starter too, especially if you don’t have a road bike.
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green LA girl’s notes: Katie’s interview induced these pangs of guilt for me about owning a car again. I comfort myself with the knowledge that I only drive that hunk of carbon-spewing mass once a week….

An interesting notable about Katie’s interview has to do with — high heels! I write this right after biking home on Bebe heels (begotten pre-loved, of course) from Green Lounge in Santa Monica — and I’m not alone. Uber-bicyclist Enci‘s all about two-wheeling in heels for eco-fem creds! Clearly women have differing opinions on this — so I’m thinking it’s high time we put together heel-related eco-travel car-free panel, yes?

Read Katie’s blog Siempre Domingo for green living tips — and follow her on Twitter @_katiebell while you’re at it too.

Photos courtesy of Katie Bell

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A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Amanda Lipsey of Life Without Wheels

Basics: 29-year-old senior grant writer at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and president of the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles. Lives in Koreatown. Child free.

Car free since: Sept. 2008.

Blogging since: Sept. 2009.

Notable post: Revenge of the Bicycle Theft Victim or Vengeance on a Bicycle Thief

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On going car-free….

I officially ditched the car after it was totaled in a car accident on September 4, 2008, the day after my second nephew was born. The motorcycling flipping over the backside of my car after it slammed into me was definitely a motivating factor!

During the summer prior to the accident, I had been “practicing” being car free, thinking that eventually I would sell my car and be car free just for fun.  So I had only been driving about once a week or so anyhow. I work for a photography company over the summers, and I was even taking Metro and riding my bike to Orange County, Ventura County, Oxnard, and lots of other remote locations successfully. I think I didn’t make the full transition voluntarily because I had this idea that I had this level of security by owning a car.

So when I was de-car’ed involuntarily, I decided it was the universe’s way of telling me it was time to make it official. I bought a hand cart, put new baskets on my bike, and realized that this was really an extremely simple thing.

I know it’s better for the environment, but that’s not my motivation. It could be because I’m too lazy to go shop for a car, but then again I think I’m too frugal to spend so much money on a mode of transportation that I only really need to take me to locations within a ten-mile radius of where I live. If I wanted to do a road trip or something, I could just rent a car.

I started to question why I really needed a car: what for? Who says? Why? I don’t understand why, exactly, I need a car, other than the bogus reasons everyone uses to try and convince me otherwise. The idea that I need it for emergencies is bogus, because emergencies, in general, qualify as something few and far between, and if there’s an emergency, like a medical emergency, I think I would just call an ambulance. Or if it’s not medical, I could call a taxi.

How she gets around

Until it was swiped, my blue Huffy was my primary mode of transportation, but now it’s a red Schwinn Le Tour that needs a little TLC. I use the bus and my own two feet quite frequently as well. I occasionally will hitch a ride with a friend going the same way as me.

I prefer to ride my bicycle [to work], but I also take the bus. Because of my field of work, it’s not unusual that I will have a meeting with donors during the course of the day, so not being post-sweaty-bike-ride is preferable on those days. However, I’m also a dancer, and it’s also not uncommon to take a long lunch and sneak off to ballet class. Having my bike at work is really handy for those types of things.

I live in Koreatown, almost a straight 5 mile shot from the museum and very close to the studio I dance at. If I had not lived here when my car was totaled, I don’t think I would have gone completely carfree. But it just seemed ridiculous not to. I am in walking distance of everything: the grocery store, the laundromat, even the library.

Since going completely car free, I have rented a car twice and borrowed a car once. I only rent or borrow when it’s absolutely necessary like my mother is coming to visit (although I think next time family comes out I’m going to give them a taste of the car free life) or if I have a photo shoot in a remote area and the time/travel differential is too great.

On the upsides and downsides

I am a tough, bad-ass chick.

No, really, since going car free many of my friends have made statements that I’m really tough or strong or something to the effect that they admire my strength. And then I took a look at myself and realized I am a really strong person, and I’m not sure I had ever looked at myself that way.

Besides getting to be part of the tough, bad-ass chick sorority, I save approximately $600 a month that would be a car payment and insurance plus probably another $300 a month on fuel. Other benefits, great legs and a flexible diet due to biking everywhere.

I think the whole lifestyle has been unexpectedly easy in comparison with what you think it will be like. You think your life will be totally limited, when really, although it does change in some ways, your life doesn’t change all that much.

The only thing that really worries me is coming and going later at night. On my bicycle I don’t worry so much, because a bad guy would have to catch me. Otherwise, a can of pepper spray really does the trick. Also, if it’s really late or early, I’ll just take a taxi home — I don’t want to wait on the bus anyhow.

There are definitely things you have to figure out, like how to do your laundry when you live in a building with no laundry facilities or how to do the grocery shopping. I have been trying to shop for a new futon for months now, but I can’t get a commitment from any of my friends to take me to IKEA so I can purchase said futon and transport it back to my place in exchange for a free lunch. So I would say furniture shopping is definitely a more difficult task to conquer without a vehicle. It could be grounds for a rental.

When my bike was recently stolen, and I was searching Craigslist for a new used bicycle, the thought of having to bus myself all over LA to look at possible cycles was daunting, but I ended up finding one very close to me. I think the tasks are only as difficult as you let them be. Sure, it takes me longer to get to work, but I also don’t have to schedule a time to go to them gym, because I did the whole kill-two-birds-with-one-stone thing.

Again, it all comes back to attitude. If you can get enthusiastic about the new adventure of being self-sufficient and not relying on a machine (which I think is what my full transition has really been about), being excited about seeing if you can exist as nature made you, the bare necessities life, then you’ll find that there are far fewer obstacles than if you approach it like a hardship.

On car-dependent people.

I think the only stigma I’ve experienced (or perhaps that I’ve actually allowed myself to notice?) is that some people (who think it’s their place to judge) think that I’m some kind of failure or poverty case because I don’t own a car. Obviously that’s not the case.

People try and tell me that not having a car limits my freedom and my activity. Well, on one level I can say that’s definitely not true as I get loads of “activity” riding around LA on my bike. But to address the real objection there, being car free only limits your freedom if you a) let it and b) think that it does. I don’t like to be all touchy feely and say it’s the power of positive thinking, but I do think that you’re attitude and how you approach being car free has a lot to do with how happy you are with it.

People think that having a car is freedom. I’ve come to think that maybe a car is a prison cell. It’s this commitment that bleeds your bank account with car payments, insurance, and maintenance plus parking! I’m not saying I’ll never own a car again, but I don’t see one in my near future.

Advice for the car-free curious.

Take it in steps, first try taking alternative modes of transportation to places close by, and work your way up to full time, car free status. Also, the Google Maps application for smart phones has a great feature where it gives you public transit options for getting from one place to another. I’ve used it a number of times, and it’s pretty helpful.

Oh, and look both ways before crossing the street!

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green LA girl’s notes: Another tip for newbie de-car-ers may be to start a blog! Says Amanda about starting her Life Without Wheels:

Prior to starting the blog, I was not plugged in at all to the car free culture in LA. So I thought that starting the blog would be a way to educate my friends and family about what my life was like without a car and also to reach out to the world around me. Until that point, I had been in a sort of denial about the lifestyle I was living. Once I started the blog, it acted as a sort of therapy, and I accepted and began to appreciate and even love my car free status.

Read Life Without Wheels for bicycle adventures and other musings on car-free living in L.A. And if you’re interested in taking a bicycle tour to the Grand Canyon, get in touch with Amanda! She’ s planning a 2.5-week biking and camping trip and looking for fellow cyclists who want to do the same.

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A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Stephanie Zhong of Fabulously Green

Basics: 40-year-old designer, editor, blogger, and LEED AP with her own consulting practice, S|Z Design and Editorial. Lives in West L.A. with a roommate. Child free.

Car free since: Feb. 2008.

Blogging since: 2006.

Notable post: Ixi collapsible bike

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On going car-free….

I first started experimenting with public transit Christmas 2007, mainly because I didn’t feel like dealing with Christmas shopping traffic, and as an environmentalist, I was curious about it. I took the bus into Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade to bypass all the traffic and parking hassles. I got dropped off at 3rd and Santa Monica, walked by all the rageful looking folks trying in vain to get into the parking structure. I strolled into the Apple store, bought a laptop, a few other presents, and hopped the bus home. Seriously the easiest holiday shopping trip I ever had. My mother came into town a week later and we bussed to the Santa Monica Pier, to the Santa Monica Library and to Musha on 5th and Wilshire for dinner. I was awestruck how easy it was.

But going carfree really took off in February 2008. By accident (serendipity really). Two policemen showed up at my front door on a fateful Sunday morning to tell me my car had been stolen and found abandoned and stripped in Downey. I looked at them like they were high: I was home all night! My car is in my garage, behind an electronic gate. Uh, no, it wasn’t. Hours later, I made my first and hopefully last trip to Downey. One look and it was clear my car was not recoverable. I would end up waiting 4 weeks for my insurance company to figure out the claim.

So decided to embark on an experiment: go carfree for one month. See what happens. Well, my life changed — for the better. At the end of the month, instead of buying a car, I took the insurance payment and socked it into my IRA. I decided to try living sans car for another month. Then another, and another. 17 months later, I’m still living carfree in L.A.

How she gets around.

The bus is my primary [mode of transportation]. Followed by my feet, and occasionally I carpool with friends who live nearby. I do rent from Enterprise or Zip Car once a month to run my errands (Costco, Trader Joes, etc). They have a great 50% off Friday to Monday discount so I get my work-related errands done then too. I’ve probably rented five times for special reasons during the week.

Both the Santa Monica and MTA bus lines come by my street. I am in walking distance to Ralphs, Vons, the post office, two movie theaters, the library, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sports Chalet, sushi/yakitori restaurants and karaoke places on Sawtelle. I had NO idea how pedestrian-friendly this neighborhood was until I stopped driving.

I work as an independent consultant and spend about 70% of my time working from home. I have clients located in Santa Monica, West L.A. and downtown. I bus to meet my Santa Monica clients, walk to my West L.A. clients (where I live), and bus downtown. Occasionally I bus into West Hollywood or Mid Wilshire to visit showrooms.

On the upsides and downsides….

[I'm car-free for] two main reasons: it helps the environment, and has saved me a lot of money. One unforeseen benefit is exercise. I walk a lot more, sometimes run (when I’m catching a bus). I have had several knee surgeries and never fully rehabbed because I was too lazy to workout in a gym. Who knew that all this walking would help with that?

An ex-boyfriend actually commented to me that my butt looked really good. To which I responded, “Body by Blue Bus, baby.” It’s true! Walking, carrying my groceries, I don’t need a gym. Because it’s necessary, I do it.

Another is more creativity. As a designer/writer I used to get a lot of my ideas while driving but couldn’t write them down. On the bus, I get to jot down notes, prepare for client meetings, draw, read magazines, listen to podcasts, answer all my e-mails. The lack of road rage, and hands-free time has freed up my mind to be more creative. And if I plan it right, I even get more done.

There are definitely some downsides. It’s hard to be spontaneous sometimes, depends on where I’m going. I have to plan my days out, like the way that parents probably do. I’m on a schedule, which isn’t my nature. But that said, it’s good for me to become more organized.

One time I was meeting someone for a first date in West Hollywood. The guy dropped me off at the bus stop. I discovered a few minutes later that the bus wasn’t running anymore. So I had to hail a cab which cost me $35. I’ve had about 4-5 of these kinds of incidents over the last year where I needed to call a cab.

And, sometimes of course, busses don’t arrive when they’re supposed to. I’ve been really late a 2-3 times. But most of the time, I’m early which almost never happened when I had a car.

There are some places I haven’t yet figured out how to get to without enlisting a friend to come along. Like swing dancing in Hollywood or Pasadena, hiking. Working on this though!

Some routes are actually easier than driving. For me, heading into Santa Monica is way more stress-free than driving. Not having to park. Not having to deal with car insurance, registration, smog checks, maintenance, parking tickets and road rage. Do not miss these at all!

One hard thing: I love flea markets and trolling Craigslist for furniture finds and I’m not able to buy certain things because I’m not able to pick things up right away.

Another: my boyfriend lives in the Valley. He does do the lion’s share of driving, picking me up but he doesn’t mind. I think we would have seen each other more often in the beginning of the relationship if I had a car, but in a way, not having a car helped us take things slower.

On car-dependent people.

People are always surprised. When they ask why and I tell them, they usually end up thinking it’s cool (or else they’re lying). lol.

Advice for the car-free curious.

Start small. Pick one place you frequent a lot (like your yoga studio, or the grocery store, etc). Type in the To/From info into LA Metro and see if there’s a direct line from where you live. Give the direct line a try. Bring along your iPod, a good book, your Blackberry, what have you. Have something you might want to do.

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green LA girl’s notes: Fabulously Green‘s “a go-to source of eco-modern fashion and interior design ideas for style-enthusiasts everywhere,” Stephanie says. Follow her via her newly-Wordpress-converted blog, and on Twitter.

Photo by Stephanie Zhong

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