kfeazell's Blog
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Carless in LA
- Posted on 01.28.10
For me, 2009 was a bad country song. I know I'm not alone, but c'mon folks...I lost my house, I lost my job, I lost my credit, I lost my DOG, and I lost my car. This blog is not about whining--mostly--but I don't want to start out pretending that I'm an environmentalist saint who is carless by choice. I'm broke. I'm not pretentious about being an environmentalist, I'm pretentious about suffering with the poor. I may not be able to slap an Obama sticker on my Prius, but I can experience the martyrdom of mass transit with a Causecast pin on my backpack.
Let's just be blunt: there are very few people in my demographic (white and not elderly) who use the bus on a regular basis in Los Angeles. (Commuter trains don't count.) Only poor minorities actually rely on the bus here. But I have a feeling that people in my demographic wouldn't give a second thought to giving up their cars in San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Seattle, or Boston.
In my forced experiment with public transportation, I hope to do some field research to figure out why LA is different. Is the public transit system really that underdeveloped? Is LA just too big for public transportation to be practical? Is it too daunting to wait for a bus on the 10 rainy days we have each year? Are Angelenos too stupid to figure out a bus schedule? Are they too attached to luxury cars they can't afford?
I obviously have a few smartass hypotheses to bias my research but I really do want to keep an open mind. And I hope to relay some of my adventures along the way that may inspire you to leave your car at home for an evening, or perhaps even on the lot before you hand over your savings to the salesman of the month.
So here I am, carless in LA. For just $1.25, you can come with me. Or, you can read this for free. On your iPhone. In traffic. While I'm getting chauffeured on the 720 and writing the next post on the back of a receipt.
P.S. I really wanted you to think this is my first foray into public transportation for the sake of the story but I have to admit it's not. If you want to know about my early days as a wide-eyed student of the metro, check out one of my first published articles, "LA by Subway": http://www.apu.edu/articles/losangelestour/. There's another one on Causecast, "How to Use Public Transportation": http://www.causecast.org/news_items/8792-how-to-use-public-transportation.
Photo: flickr, josewolff
Related causes: Environment
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Thanks, Sarah!
Great blog, Kerri. I LOVED it.
Bronwyn, you are awesome! I actually remembered your comment on my "How to Ride Public Transportation" article and thought of you when we lost our car. It can be done and like anything, I think you just get used to it and adapt. Let's grab a coffee with the money we save on gas sometime. :)
Coo
I gave up my car, by choice, in May 2009. And I have to say that while sometimes it can be a pain, I've found that it's so much better than owning and driving a car all the time. I was originally going to do it as either a 6 month (if I wimped out) or 12 month experiment, but when May 2010 rolls around, I can tell you right now: I won't be buying another car.
Sure, I carpool with a co-worker sometimes during the week. I occasionally borrow a car from a friend (I have budgeted money for car rentals, but if my friends will loan me their car once in awhile for the cost of lunch, I'd rather do that). But I also have an EZ transit pass ($70 for total freedom on LA transit systems each month, including Santa Monica and Culver City -- less than what I used to spend on gas in a month) and regularly take the bus between East Hollywood and Culver City for work (and vary my route home, depending on plans with friends, needing to stop at the grocery store, etc.). I also try to bike on a regular basis.
It's really not so bad. I have more time to read (books and news) on the bus. I'm less stressed. For the same cost of parking in many areas of West Hollywood, I can take the bus there, and then take a cab home at the end of the night. Oh, yeah, and I'm healthier and don't throw away as much food that has gone bad from over-purchasing.
Oh, yeah, and I'm 24, female, and caucasian.
I think a lot of it is that perception that only the poor or minorities take public transit in LA that continues to fuel our car-crazed culture here. Yes, LA has sprawl. But with a little planning, and little extra time, and one day, better transit options, etc., there's really no reason to always hop behind the wheel. We just have to change the perception and stigma associated with being car-free in LA.
Just my 2 cents. =)