r/CarIndependentLA

Hey everyone, SB 79 takes effect on July 1st to allow up to 7-story housing near major transit stops. LA City Hall is rushing To block this with the Low-Rise Ordinance, to exploit a state loophole. By allowing 2-to-4 story updates at 55 stations, the city gets to pause the rest of SB 79 citywide until 2030.

Read the city’s official plan in the LA City Planning SB 79 and Low-Rise Ordinance Fact Sheet, then call your Councilmember and tell them to Vote NO on Council File 25-1083.

I bike and metro most places, but most of my friends drive, so I'm working on a tool to find places to hang out in person, even if several people are using different transportation modes.

You can enter the location of two people, their respective transportation modes, and what you're looking for. It will try to find the best places so that both have similar travel times.

It's still a work in progress, and the Google Maps API costs are higher than I expected (because it has to basically calculate directions for each friend, to each possible destination), so it's a bit limited for now while I figure stuff out, but I'd love to hear if it's something useful and any suggestions.

Thanks!

In celebration of Bike Day on May 21, there are several transit agencies offering free fares to riders.

For LA Metro, all buses, trains and Metro Micro will be free. Metro Bike Share will have free 30-minute rides with promo code: 052126. Also LADOT is offering free rides [Commuter Express + DASH + LAnow (promo code: ACTIVE26)] .

Other transit agencies I found offering fareless rides are: Big Blue Bus, Culver CityBus, Metrolink + Arrow Service, Norwalk Transit, Torrance Transit. However, you will need to bring either a bike or a bike helmet (except for Metrolink which is just bike only).

Here are upcoming Bikeshare events planned for the month: https://bikeshare.metro.net/events/

And have a great Bike Month!

hi all! i’m moving to LA in july for work and am trying to figure out what neighborhood to live in. my office is downtown, steps away from the A, B, D and E lines. i’m hoping to find a neighborhood that’s walkable and fun, with easy access to the metro. tia for advice!!

To start off, when I clicked on this video, I legit thought the Onion re-released the "Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan" video from 15 years ago 😭.

But anyways, with LA having so many freeways, I'm surprised this hasn't been implemented yet. The video says its an initiative by CalTrans, which really surprised me. I honestly have no idea if CalTrans has what it takes to run transit and it being a BRT network over rail but I will take any improvements to transit in Los Angeles and connecting communities!

Any thoughts?

Title, I'm 24, and for years now I've been helping my family, constantly broke having to pay bills and dedicating my time to work is finally over, I'm free.

While I am definitely older....I feel very much behind compared to my peers, haven't dated since hs, virgin, no friends, no hobbies, nothing but just working.

I now have a bike and more funds to be able to do stuff. Where are cool places or groups to join? I live in the valley.

To submit public feedback, residents open the virtual portal and select a panel that opens a separate tab on a phone or desktop computer. After navigating through a summary of gondola design proposals on that tab, residents can select what action they believe the state should take or write their own comment.

The deadline for residents to submit comments online or by mail is May 18, 2026.

Lincoln Heights resident and disability advocate Eric Adams told LA Public Press he’s tech savvy but that the website is confounding and “deceptively maze-like” for elders and people with disabilities.

“[Elders] don’t function well with cell phones and were baffled by [the website],” Adams said. “[The website] is almost impossible to read for people who use screen readers or other adaptive tech.”

Adams, who said he opposes the gondola, said it took him more than 15 minutes to figure out how to leave a comment and that the website seems “deliberately” designed to prevent people from sharing input.

Ling said the website has no option for people to ask questions or leave contact information with their comment, which she worries could allow for someone to “game the system” using artificial intelligence to flood the agency with comments in support of the gondola.

Interesting origin story!

https://clockshop.org/project/clockshops-kite-festival/

A few years ago, a developer proposed building a private gondola over LA State Historic Park — a ticketed ride, above free public land, in one of the most park-poor neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Longtime residents were furious.

Clockshop’s response was a kite festival.

Thousands of families came. Kids built kites. Artists performed. The sky above the park filled with color — and the message was impossible to miss: this is our sky. This is our park. It belongs to us.

The gondola proposal didn’t go away on its own. But a community made clear it wouldn’t go quietly either.

I’m visiting next month and after checking out of my Airbnb while waiting on my train home I figured I would spend time around Union Station. After ride-sharing from WeHo I will go ahead and check my bags. I will be sticking strictly to daytime hours between 11:30 AM and 6:00 PM.

I’ve mapped out a highly specific route to hit some cinematic spots and the World Cup Fan Zone, but I want a local reality check. Should I walk these, or bite the bullet and ride-share all of it to avoid sketchiness?

Here are my specific walking legs using ride-share from the station to some:

• Walk 1 (Angelino Heights to Echo Park): Walking down Carroll Ave (the Thriller House) over to Kensington Road (Bob's Market / Fast & Furious house). It's about a 15-minute walk through the residential neighborhood.

• Walk 2 (Financial District to Civic Center): Starting at the Biltmore Hotel (5th & Grand) and walking North on Grand Ave past The Broad / Disney Concert Hall to get back toward El Pueblo/Union Station. I’ve researched that Grand Ave is the safest/cleanest North/South corridor to avoid the freeway underpass sketchiness. Is this accurate?

• Walk 3 (El Pueblo to Little Tokyo): Walking from the Fan Zone (LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes / Olvera St) down to the Japanese Village Plaza (1st & Central). Roughly a 10-minute walk.

• Walk 4 (Little Tokyo to Chinatown border): Walking from Little Tokyo North up Alameda St to eat at Philippe The Original (1001 N Alameda).

• Walk 5 (Philippe to Union Station): Just crossing Alameda St to get back into the station for my evening train.

My main questions for locals:

1. ⁠Are any of these specific stretches notorious for unpredictable encounters during the day?
2. ⁠Is Grand Avenue still the absolute best corridor to walk North through DTLA?
3. ⁠Are there any specific streets or blocks I should strictly avoid when moving between El Pueblo, Little Tokyo, and Union Station?
4. ⁠Thanks in advance for the advice!

I, THEREFORE, MOVE that the Board of Supervisors waive parking fees, excluding the cost of liability insurance, in the amount of $20 per vehicle at Lot 14 for voters and election workers visiting the Vote Centers at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration from May 25, 2026, to June 5, 2026 and October 21, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Update: Thank you so much everyone for participating! There are a couple more questions Nithya really wanted to answer, and I'm hoping we'll be able to get her answers posted over the next couple of days.

-TeamNithya

I'll be answering questions starting around 2:00 pm this afternoon.
Hi r/AskLosAngeles! 

I’m Nithya Raman, Los Angeles City Council Member for Council District Four and candidate for Mayor.

I’m an immigrant, an urban planner by training (I earned my master’s degree at MIT), and the mother of 10-year-old twins.

I’m running for mayor because Los Angeles is in crisis- everyone can feel it. The city is unaffordable, unable to deliver basic services, and failing to provide transparency & accountability. In City Hall, there is a lack of leadership instead of the urgency and vision we need.

On council, I passed the strongest renter protections in LA’s history, lowered rent increases for over 1.5 million Angelenos, established independent redistricting, and wrote LA’s sanctuary city ordinance. In my own district, I reduced tents and encampments by 54% and built more protected bike lanes than any other council district. I’m ready to take this progress city-wide!

I want to fight for this city’s future: build more housing, address homelessness, deliver on public safety, expand Metro, and create a city that works for everyone. 

And with that, Ask Me Anything! Who’s ready?