dithifer

Have anyone ever lived car free in Los Angeles? I am thinking about doing it with an ebike, but am not sure safety wise.

Leisesturm

Are you planning to take your e-bike on the 405? If yes, you have a problem. Besides being dangerous, it's illegal. If you do not plan to illegally operate your e-bike on freeways or other limited access roadways then L.A. should not be anymore dangerous to ride in than ... NYC? In fact, I would sooner trust my tender flesh to the indifference of a West Coast cager to the more aggressive me first mentality of an East Coast cager. If it's personal safety you mean, we've been there. Don't need to go there again.

JoeyBike

Santa Monica was my second home back in the '90s. It really depends on where you live and work. There are many bike paths and trails, and a few bike lanes here and there. And with an E-Bike it should be easy to keep up with traffic most places NOT the freeways. The main issue is that L.A. is so spread out and very car-centric. I could get everywhere I needed to be on inline skate. But I was pretty smart about where I located myself in relation to places I needed/wanted to be. And rental cars were cheap as dirt back then, so if I wanted to get out of town I took advantage of that.

Clyde1820

Viability?: it depends.

Seriously evaluate how far, and on which roads, you'll be needing to travel. Los Angeles is, end-to-end, one of the largest mega-cities on the planet. It can take an unconscionably long time to get from one end to the other, if that's where you've placed your home and work destinations. Along with the fact that it's designed-in features supportive of "car culture" means that you'll often find no way to effectively get from A to B, depending.

If I were living within 5 miles of my destination(s) and the routes were ride-able via bicycle, then I'd certainly consider going car-free. But if you get several towns distant, you might well find yourself with few to no options for getting there, given how some of the major arteries (highways) cut across things. Most such highways have ways to get across, but in reality it might be so far out of your way as to make such a meandering route a pain.

There are lots of roads in Los Angeles that simply weren't built with bicycling in mind.

With a zippy e-bike you might well have more options. Depending on which "A and B" you're speaking of.

SoCaled 

It might be sort of obvious, but I have noticed a big difference between the quality of routes when I am choosing to go for a ride vs. when I need to go to a particular place. I was running some errands yesterday and had to go, where I had to go, kept finding myself in spots I was not a big fan of ( shoulder disappeared, piles of debris, bike lanes that had you surrounded by traffic). None of it was that big a deal, mostly just watching and timing traffic so I didn't get pinched, that said, I normally wouldn't take these routes, but need to to get where I was going and had no other viable options. I will go out and shop on my bike (a few items), but don't usually take my bike when I am going shopping (weeks grocery's, paint for the living room, etc.) not that you couldn't but I would look at how yo do things now and how you will on a bike.

diphthong

yes, it's doable. as the last few posters have mentioned/alluded to, really depends on work commute (if that applies in your case). there are areas that are concentrated
and work well for walking/errands/short rides like the fairfax district, silver lake, glendale, atwater village, toluca lake, redondo beach, (some parts of) torrance, el segundo and culver city. likely missed a few neighborhoods. my apologies.
west of the 405 freeway has better air quality. the further east you go from the 405, the worse it gets.

freckles

OP, as others have said, it depends on where you live and the places you need to go (commute/school/errands/friends etc).

I live in LA too and mostly walk/bike with occasional bus/subway and car. I still own a car but am considering selling it next year to go completely car free. Most of my needs can be done locally and for occasional events- I'll figure it out. Hoping the Blue car share will expand to locations closer to my base.

Unfortunately, LA does not have good bike infrastructure. Mostly wig wag my way thru residential streets and occasional sidewalks to stay alive but its still more fun than being in a car in traffic

50PlusCycling

“Nobody walks in LA,” unless they are blind (though I don’t think that stops many), or has a suspended license (ditto), or is too claustrophobic to sit in a car. LA is not one of those “15 minute cities” like New York or Tokyo, and a car is almost a necessity. Public transportation exists, but it’s not the kind of environment I like to expose myself to unless I’m armed.

0ne

I have been 100% car free for 9 years here in Los Angeles. I have my gravel bike with panniers, full frame bag and front harness for carrying what i carry, a buddyrider mounted to my seatpost for my dog and a trailer for times i need cargo space. I supplement my riding with metro trains and buses but with my new tires, i cant fit in bus racks. Its absolutely possible and the weather is great, thid past week has been all rain but most months its sun every day.

0ne

Car is NOT a necessity i prove that daily and LA Metro is surprisingly well set up. You can get pretty much anywhere in the city using metro, either train or bus or both, cost is $1.75 with 2 hours unlimited transfers and bikes welcome on both. There are seedy elements in every town every city on earth, you dont need to interact with everyone who may or may not be on the same train so dont let that prevent you using a convenient method to get around. That said, i have encountered some hard headed people while on metro and Sabre Pepper gel definitely works when you need it to work, be aware and stay safe.During rush hour though, with the traffic, i can usually get there faster with my bike.

1989Pre 

What is the point of going car-free, if you are just going to consume electrical power with an electric, low-powered motorcycle? I don't get it.

Sangetsu

LA gas prices are the highest in America, and with carjackings and break-ins going through the roof, insurance ain’t getting any cheaper, not to mention California’s car registration and smog inspection fees. If the commuting distance is less than 20 miles, a bike is a good option. The weather is good, except during the winter rainy season, so not a bad place to ride.