MetroRiderLA

[tags]la times, griffith park, ladwp light festival, green la girl, uncar[/tags]

Photo courtesy of deadeyebart a.k.a Brett via Flickr.

I found this hilarious LA Times article (via Green LA Girl) covering one of those rare times when the NIMBY’s are actually right. The Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council is asking the LADWP to make people walk instead of drive their cars during the annual LADWP Light Festival that is put on every winter in Griffith Park. The nightly event, which lasts 40 days, traditionally leads cars (over 150,000 of the last year) on a one mile path through the park where drivers and passengers can stare at ornate Christmas lights set up along the way. It’s a car-friendly and car-centric event to the extreme, with only an estimated 20,000 pedestrians walking the route (alongside the idling cars), and only one night (”Bike Night”) when cars are not allowed at all. Bernadette Soter, a board member in the neighborhood council, sums up the absurd L.A. car culture mentality with this gloriously deadpan statement:

“Think about it. It’s a one mile walk. In a park.”

But apparently, in Los Angeles, being asked to walk in a park is heresy on the highest level. Joe Ramallo of the DWP thinks the NIMBY’s are over reacting and just don’t want to deal with cars in their neighborhood. In fact, he worries that making the event too pedestrian-friendly could be dangerous - think people tripping, children coming too close to Christmas lights, and worst of all, teenagers hanging out. He’s got a good point. I’ve got another: what about our frosty winters here? I hear it gets below 60 somtimes. Don’t want people have to wear a jacket.

Only in Los Angeles.

[tags]car free, uncar, los angeles, downtown, metro, downtown news[/tags]

Kathryn Maese, of the Downtown News, is now car-free.

Maybe this site can help create a transit culture in Los Angeles!  Kathryn Maese, a downtown resident and columnist for the Downtown News, wrote an article last week about her recent and voluntary transfer from the car culture to the Public Transit Lifestyle.  And what’s more, she gives at least partial credit to yours truly, claiming that my letter to the editor last month helped convince her that going car-free was the only way to be… especially as a downtown resident and “resident advisor”.

After reading my letter (which was based on a scathing rant I wrote for this blog a month earlier), Kathryn decided to sell her ‘97 Jeep Cherokee (MetroRider and contributor, Matt Walsh, recently sold his Jeep Wrangler) and deal with life in Los Angeles… sans car.  She estimates she’ll be saving $300 a month by living car free since her weekly transportation costs will now be less than a gallon of premium gas.  Of course, Kathryn realizes that living without a car (especially in L.A.) isn’t all roses, but is prepared for the challenges by planning ahead and keeping her options open (she’s considering a Flexcar membership, which I fully endorse).  Congratulations Kathryn, MetroRiderLA welcomes you to the Los Angeles Public Transit Lifestyle!  The club is growing, who’s next?

So I did it. After months of telling myself I’d get around to it, I finally got rid of my number one expense. I probably drove less than 20 times in 2006, but I sure spent a ton on insurance and especially on parking! Thank you Craigslist, and thank you MetroriderLA!

[tags]transit, los angeles, get la moving, car free, uncar, subway[/tags]

Hello All,

I’m a mass transit advocate, a proud mass transit rider, and I’m about to relapse.

I live smack dab in the middle of this city in Leimert Park. The closest rapid station to me is just a 5-minute 0.3-mile walk away and the THREE red buses (710, 705 & 740) can wisk me away to any part of this city. The locals (all within a 5-minute walk) include the 40, 42, 105, 210, 305, and 608 in addition to the Dashes. Outside of Koreatown/Pico-Union or Downtown I couldn’t ask for better mass transit connections in this city.

And yet, for the first time in over 5 years I’m seriously considering purchasing an automobile. I’ll go from paying $0 per month for personal transportation (my job pays for my bus pass in lieu of paying for parking) to needing to put $4-6K down and pay $500-$1000 per month (depending on whether I take on a car note). So why the heck would I consider it? Primarily because my time IS that valuable, and my commute on public transit does suck.

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[tags]commute, parking, free money, incentive, car free, uncar[/tags]

We all know that going car-free (uncar-ing as I like to call it) can save you a load of money each month. Gas, insurance, parking, service - all these things add up. But if your employeer provides free parking, there may be a little extra money coming your way if you decide to uncar. Thanks to a law that was first enacted in 1992, private employeers (with 50 or more employees) who provide free parking in a leased lot must pay a stipend equal to the cost of the parking space to employees who do not drive to work. This can obviously be a sizable little sum, upwards of $150 per month, depending on how much your company pays for parking.

Obviously the law is a bit complex, and the restrictions may mean your free parking doesn’t qualify (perhaps your employeer owns the parking lot), but it is worth looking into. You could end up with some extra cash in your pocket just for being a MetroRider!

Related Links:

• C.I.C.L.E. - Little-Known State Law Gives N0-Parking Perk (from LA Times article)
• LA Times - Little-Known State Law Gives No-Parking Perk (PDF)
• Access No.13 Fall 1998 University of California Transportation Center - Congress Okays Cash-Out (PDF)

[tags] sell,car,sold,craigslist,car free,los angeles[/tags]

As of last Friday I officially no longer own a wasteful and unnecessary automobile. It feels good. It feels great. It feels… right. Here’s how I did it.

First and foremost, what kind of car do you have? This will automatically decide your audience and therefore your approach. If you want to get rid of a Lexus or a Ford Escort Wagon your steps will definitely be different, though the end goal the same. Getting rid of the burden/headache/pollutant/financial black hole that is an automobile in Los Angeles, California.

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