Living in LA w/no car (Los Angeles, Sacramento: mover, home, neighborhoods)

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by Carlite

Re transit service quality in LA vs. other places. I think looking at how much people use the system is a good measure.

When I ride public transit in SF or Chicago, I'm surrounded by all walks of life, and lots of middle class and upper middle class people going to work or going shopping. When I ride public transit in LA, I feel like I'm riding with people who are barely hanging in there.

The buses and trains in LA can definitely get CROWDED during rush hour. Part of it is that a lot of lines don't run often enough to meet demand (especially the green and blue lines, but buses like the 720 run every 5 minutes and still get packed to the brim) but there's definitely a lot of people who can't afford anything else. Wages in LA just aren't high enough for everyone to afford a car.

[John23]

Originally Posted by munchitup

Having lived in one of those East Coast cities, I'll disagree. Large parts of Boston completely lack rail connections. Believe it or not LA has some of the most frequent transit in the country, including bus and rail. It is vastly different than pretty much any US city, but not in a way that makes using transit or walking impossible or even that difficult (of course it has a long way to go because of some of the development, but the layout of LA is not intrinsically unwalkable, in fact quite the opposite.)

This is a problem of public transportation in general, not just Los Angeles'. Someone quoted this in another thread, but the saying goes something like, the worst public transportation system in the world is the one you rely on and use every single day.

I do agree that not having a car every once and a while in Los Angeles can be extremely limiting. But there is a thing called Zip car for that (or just having one car and rarely using it, like I am lucky enough to be able to afford).

It's hard to generalize a whole area like the east coast. Most cities I think have public transit built for the passenger and the objective is to get from point A to point B. I.e. New york city, which has maybe the best subway system in the country?

-Here, it's much more hit and miss. I.e. the metro doesn't connect (yet) to LAX airport. There was a lot of controversy about the metro going under beverly hills high last year. I think LA is mostly a car culture first.

-About being pedestrian friendly, the streets can be pretty long. If I drive through pico/robertson or miracle mile, I can't envision people walking everywhere. The same with the valley. Plus, to get to hospitals, the airport, etc, it definitely takes a car.

[HarryKerryJr]

Invest in a cheap or inexpensive used car. That will keep your registration and insurance DOWN. Use the car for occasions at night or the weekends or areas where public transit is just NOT efficient. You will have the best of both worlds with minimum mileage.

I can tell you although it was only a 2.4 mile trip to The Grove by Metro bus and we did that for quite a while, the hassle getting back was such that we finally just decided to DRIVE there and pay the then $1 validated parking. You may find more situations like that where you will be glad you have a car.

[seansean]

Originally Posted by Goodybag

Have heard mixed things. The consensus seems to be "doable but difficult and limiting".

Thoughts from all you Angelenos here? Anyone done it for a long time? What's it REALLY like? No sugarcoating please. I'm legit trying to decide if I should invest in a car if I move here. Thanks.

EDIT: Sorry if there are other threads on it (sure there are) but the search function isn't working for me ATM.

Don't. Just don't. If you want to have any kind of life here, you need a car. Even if you choose to ride public trans, or your bike when you can, a car is mandatory. It's too spread out here. Buses are unreliable(train good, but doesn't go many places considering the size of the city, and again how spread out everything is). Living in this town without a car is an exercise in pain.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by John23

It's hard to generalize a whole area like the east coast. Most cities I think have public transit built for the passenger and the objective is to get from point A to point B. I.e. New york city, which has maybe the best subway system in the country?

-Here, it's much more hit and miss. I.e. the metro doesn't connect (yet) to LAX airport. There was a lot of controversy about the metro going under beverly hills high last year. I think LA is mostly a car culture first.

Are you saying that Los Angeles's system is not for the passenger and to get from point A to point B? - I can't tell... I'd consider LB to DTLA, Pasadena to DTLA, Culver City / SM to DTLA, Hollywood to DTLA to be a pretty good starting point for a young system. NYC of course has the best and most comprehensive system in the US but even it has some pretty notable gaps in coverage, particularly Queens and Staten Island.

The whole idea that "Metro doesn't connect to LAX so LA must have a bad transit system" is the weakest, tiredest argument I've ever heard. Fun fact - Boston has literally the same rail connection to the airport that LAX has. Also, if you are going to leave/arrive at LAX car-free and do not live in the South Bay or South LA, it is significantly more logical to take the Flyaway bus for $7 and connect at Union Station, Van Nuys or Westwood.

The Purple Line extension under Beverly Hills was controversial to about 50 people in the entire LA area (50 obnoxiously loud and unprofessional people, at that) - the vast majority of citizens in that city are in support of transit expansion. Measure J was poorly publicized and yet still received 65% of the vote in LA County - I have a hard time agreeing that LA is mostly a car-culture, more so than NYC or Boston yes, but nowhere near the level of Sunbelt cities.

Originally Posted by John23

-About being pedestrian friendly, the streets can be pretty long. If I drive through pico/robertson or miracle mile, I can't envision people walking everywhere. The same with the valley. Plus, to get to hospitals, the airport, etc, it definitely takes a car.

I agree the Westside and Valley are the two worst places in LA for walkability (something I have mentioned in this thread at least once, probably twice) but they too are not hopeless cases. I don't see people walking everywhere, but I definitely can imagine them being able to walk to about half of their trips and use a car for the other half.

Oh and my hospital is easily accessible via the Red Line.

[K 22]

Originally Posted by munchitup

Measure J was poorly publicized and yet still received 65% of the vote in LA County - I have a hard time agreeing that LA is mostly a car-culture, more so than NYC or Boston yes, but nowhere near the level of Sunbelt cities.

Measure J missed by one half of 1 percent. That, right there, is amazing for a car-centric city.

When I came out there to visit, I didn't rent a car and relied Metro and my feet to get around and I didn't have much issues at all. Granted I did stay in DTLA and used the 720, the rail lines mostly (Definitely got mega mileage out of that 7-day unlimited pass) but no serious issue going from point A to point B.

But, man oh man, that Orange Line during the rush hour. Hoo-boy. That really shouldn't be a bus.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by K 22

Measure J missed by one half of 1 percent. That, right there, is amazing for a car-centric city.

When I came out there to visit, I didn't rent a car and relied Metro and my feet to get around and I didn't have much issues at all. Granted I did stay in DTLA and used the 720, the rail lines mostly (Definitely got mega mileage out of that 7-day unlimited pass) but no serious issue going from point A to point B.

But, man oh man, that Orange Line during the rush hour. Hoo-boy. That really shouldn't be a bus.

Oh yeah man that thing is ridiculous. Believe it or not it doesn't die down post-rush hour. The only reason I ever get a seat on it is because I always am coming from the Noho Red Line station.

I was thinking, could a way to increase its capacity without adding actual buses be to make it into a double-decker bus ala London? Or does it go under a bunch of over-passes? It's been a few months since I took the Orange Line last so I don't really remember.

[Goodybag]

Thanks for all the responses so far, guys.

Problem is I'm not used to either driving OR public transit. I'm from a small town where I've been able to either walk everywhere or get a friend to give me a ride if I really needed it.

Honestly, I'm kinda intimidated by the idea of driving in LA the first year I'm learning to drive. All the associated costs also put a huge damper on the idea. Then again, structuring my time around the bus schedules and the fact that LA--while maybe more walkable than some give it credit for--is really not super walkable...well, a car does sound nice to have. Still haven't decided one way or another but these replies have been helpful.

[Chava61]

My mother who is a retired homemaker moved to L.A. several years ago and has never owned a car since moving to L.A. She lives in the Miracle Mile area and has shopping and access to public transportation right where she lives. Sometimes she gets rides from friends or relatives but mainly gets around on her own using public transportation. So living in L.A. without a car is doable depending on one's circumstances.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by Goodybag

Thanks for all the responses so far, guys.

Problem is I'm not used to either driving OR public transit. I'm from a small town where I've been able to either walk everywhere or get a friend to give me a ride if I really needed it.

Honestly, I'm kinda intimidated by the idea of driving in LA the first year I'm learning to drive. All the associated costs also put a huge damper on the idea. Then again, structuring my time around the bus schedules and the fact that LA--while maybe more walkable than some give it credit for--is really not super walkable...well, a car does sound nice to have. Still haven't decided one way or another but these replies have been helpful.

Well, you should probably give a bit more in specifics then in terms of what your move entails. If you already have a job or school lined up and you know where it is then we can probably advise you on specific areas you should try renting in where you might be able to just walk to work/school as well as most amenities without taking transit. Keep in mind that Los Angeles is a physically huge city so any sort of general decree of whether or not Los Angeles is or is not doable without a car will be very specific to personal circumstances.

Another question is if you have close friends or relatives there who can ease you into things or be willing to provide you with that occasional ride you might need if you don't have a car.

And still another option that hasn't been brought up (I think), but is a possibility depending on, again, your personal circumstances, is how willing you are to bike in the city. A bicycle can very much open up a lot of possibilities to you.