r/CarIndependentLA

"Amendments to SB 1361 dramatically reshaped the tone—and the coalition—around the bill in committee, turning what had been organized opposition into a near-universal shift to neutral or support."

No, I don’t plan on telling the subreddit where I’ll be working, or what my budget for housing is. I’m definitely not moving here to work for a tech company or defense contractor.

I want to live in a dense, walkable area, but I also want it to be completely devoid of poor people, the mentally ill, and any Black or brown person who doesn’t make Wayne Brady look like Huey Newton. I mean, I didn’t say that, but that’s what I really mean when I say I’m concerned about safety.

I’ll check the replies in the morning. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to catch a Waymo to the Abbey tonight, where I’ll leave my purse unzipped and loosely hanging off my shoulder, and leave my drink unattended. After all, it’s totally safe: I’m surrounded by people who conform to an aesthetic that makes me feel comfortable.

I definitely wouldn’t have gotten in Ted Bundy’s Volkswagen if i were born in 1950 instead of 2000. Why do you ask?

I live near the intersection of Robertson and Third, right between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I’m an LA native, though I live part time internationally and spend part of the year back home in Los Angeles. I’ll be here through the end of September before heading abroad again, so roughly five more months. I have a small service animal, and we’ve been getting around mostly on foot and by bus. What has surprised me is how limited the transit ecosystem is in my immediate area. There is no nearby Metro rail stop, no neighborhood Metro Bike access, no Micro service, and no LA Now rideshare option serving my immediate pocket, despite being centrally located. Lime bikes are also banned in Beverly Hills, which is literally one block from where I live. I’m about a 15 to 20 minute walk from Santa Monica Boulevard, which is manageable, though making that walk every day in the heat becomes exhausting quickly. The closest bus to my house is the 617, about a five minute walk away, but it only runs once an hour, so while it’s marvelous when I can make the connection, that timing is rare.

Today I decided to take a yoga class in Culver City. I left an hour and a half before class and arrived about 20 to 30 minutes early. Yoga left me feeling inspired, so I decided to try to piece together a bike route home. That’s when everything unraveled. I walked for 20 minutes in direct sunlight trying to reach what I thought would be the nearest viable bike option, only to discover that while the app indicated electric bikes were available, there were none, only conventional bikes. I then struggled to understand the trip planning interface. While it shows nearby stations, I could not figure out any intuitive built in way to map a complete route from where to pick up the bike, where to ride it, where to drop it off, and how to walk the remaining distance to my final destination. By that point, I was overheated, exhausted, frustrated, and I started crying.

I gave up and decided to take the bus instead. I went into McDonald’s to wait because there was no shade at the bus stop. Once on the bus, I got excited because Transit showed I might make the 617 connection with one minute to spare. Of course, I missed it. I was rerouted incorrectly twice, ended up waiting again in direct sunlight at another unshaded stop, missed the 617 a second time, and ultimately had to walk another 25 minutes home. In total, getting back took over two hours and several miles of walking.

I’ll add that if I’m not pressed for time, my walks, especially my early morning walks with my dog, can actually be peaceful and grounding. There is something quiet and gentle about those moments, and I genuinely appreciate that slower rhythm when I’m able to move at my own pace. At the same time, those walks can also feel strangely quiet and, at times, almost desolate. There are stretches where hardly anyone is out walking at all. It lacks the natural rhythm of street life I’ve experienced in places like Paris, where simply stepping outside means feeling folded into the energy of a place. Even compared with nearby West Hollywood, which feels more lively, social, and animated, my immediate area can feel isolated. As a single woman in my thirties, community matters deeply to me. I enjoy incidental human connection, crossing paths with people, feeling part of neighborhood life, and having organic opportunities for conversation, familiarity, and connection. I do feel glimpses of that on public transportation, yet overall there is still a sense of distance that can feel surprisingly lonely.

This experience has humbled me. My intention in living without a car was to challenge my own assumptions about Los Angeles public transportation and destigmatize my own internalize biased against this Mitchell system when it was much less invested in when I was growing up as a kid in Long Beach, esp now after having lived in Paris, Mexico City, London, and New York City, all of which offer more integrated transit systems and more seamless pedestrian life. I still value what I’m learning, and I’ve met kind people along the way, but today drained me. It left me wondering whether the answer is renting an e bike, occasional car access, relocating to a more connected neighborhood (although I’m in the sublet so not possible at this time), or some hybrid approach, because what I experienced today was simply exhausting.

Out of these 3 cities which is the best to move to for walkability?

I currently live near North Hollywood station but I work at Encino. My lease ends in 6 months and I would like to move to a more walkable/bus accessible area near a hospital (I’m a nurse). So I’m looking for a hospital and apartment near a metro station. Thank you!