r/CarIndependentLA

I'm weighing a decision to take a once-in-a-lifetime job in LA which would require moving my family (husband and 4 year old) to LA. We are most concerned about creating a lifestyle that resembles that of ours in Brooklyn where we can still walk/bike easily to our daily spots (coffee, groceries, pharmacies, doctors offices) and be off Metro to get to work in downtown LA and/or museums/beaches/parks on the weekends. Looking for suggestions on neighborhoods/cities in LA County that we should be focusing on.

I know a lot of people struggle with the idea of going car free especially in a place like LA. I did too. but after living with a cargo bike for a few months i slowly got used to it and honestly started to prefer parts of this lifestyle. So i thought id share what made it work for us in case it helps anyone else thinking about going car light...

About 3 months ago we got a cargo bike (taran l1s). The original reason was that we were tired of parking and traffic so plan was to use it for school (pickup drop off) because thats like when we both are in hurry.

I mean school is only about 2 miles away but driving there takes around 15-20 minutes once you include traffic and finding a spot. On the bike it takes like 10 minutes door to door.

But now alott of our short trips (to park.. or to kfc, to our parent's place) alot of our short trips have gradually stopped being car trips.

We still use the car for longer distances and for those really bulky loads and for thing/routes that make more sense by car. So i wouldnt say we are like FULLY car free...but most of our everyday trips dont really need one anymore.

The first thing is simply that the bike can carry enough stuff to make that possible. We were originally planning to get a regular ebike (but that wont be helpful in our case)

But this one can carry kids, school bags, groceries, other random things (you pick up during the day)... alot of situations that used to make me automatically think we need the car for this turned out to be totally manageable on the bike. We have panniers front and rear plus smaller storage for everyday stuff. Ive even carried lumber home on it before which is definitely not something i expected when i originally bought it for school runs lol.

Tho we dont ride in heavy rain that often but when the weather turns i can throw on a rain jacket and the kids stay pretty comfortable under the rear cover.

The second thing is electric assist.

Even with kids or cargo on the bike or when i have to deal with a hill it still feels manageable. I especially like using hill assist when starting off with a heavier load. It gives you that extra help getting moving and once youre up to speed the regular assist takes over.

That matters more than i expected because i dont really have to think am i too tired for this trip or is the bike too loaded today nearly as much as i would on a normal bike.

The third thing is probably my favorite part and that is kids like riding bike more.

Now theyre almost always asking if we can take the bike. They sit in the back looking around, pointing things out, talking to me, telling me to look at whatever they just noticed.

In the car theyre mostly just sitting in the back while im focused on driving. On the bike the trip feels wayyy more interactive.

There are also a few smaller things i didnt care much about before buying the bike but that turned out to matter alot for everyday family use.

The rear guardrail opens (wear kids sit) so the kids can climb on by themselves. I close it, make sure the bags are secure and were ready to go.

And the e-dropper post has been really useful for me. Im not very tall and when the bike is loaded stopping while only being able to tiptoe doesnt feel great. But I lower the seat before stopping get my feet down more comfortably then raise it again once im riding.

None of these things sound huge on their own.

But together they remove alot of the little annoyances that would otherwise make me hesitate and think maybe ill just take the car.

And i think thats actually a big part of successfully switching from car to bike. Its not just about whether the bike can technically do the trip. Its about whether daily use has enough friction that you start avoiding it.

If the bike makes loading kids, carrying things, stopping, starting, parking and everyday errands feel easy you use it more...and once you use it more becoming car lite starts happening almost by accident.

Anyone else in LA or any other car heavy city making this work? What made it click for you?

The Metro funding is part of the nearly $15 million in federal funds Rivas has secured for her district, the 29th Congressional District, during the current 2026 fiscal year.