MidAtlantic

That's something I noticed when I was there last month. I found several places around London where whole car lanes had disappeared and had been replaced with cycling lanes.

dj6372

Santa Monica is probably the only place I would cycle (on public roads), it is set up well, clearly marked lanes etc.

Personally I think this is because of the tourist trade.

I do cycle but I cycle along the seafront, there is a very nice path away from the traffic, there is a short dice with death on Washington towards Venice where you do need to keep your wits about you!

petitefrancaise

I also used to cycle to work and back in London.. 5 miles from Kensington to Ealing until I had yet another very close call with a stupid driver, I've also cycled in most European countries and they are all very, very different in their attitudes to cyclists. I cycled daily in France just to get around, I cycled in Paris (it was fine). Cote d'Azur? Forget it.

My point is that commenting about another US state on an issue like cycling is a bit pointless. Locals really are the ones to provide the info on that and preferably someone who does it. I DON'T cycle around Austin unless most of it is on a trail and then it's dangerous because the trails are full of people walking/jogging with their headphones on. Each city and each state is different.

Thanks to dj6372 for his input.

sherbert

Why? You know nothing about cycling laws, infrastructure, experience *or* what it's like to commute by car in California so why the judgement?

My former neighbour cycled 15 miles and back to the {popular search engine} plex every day. It was bike lane all the way and it would have take 50 minutes to get there in rush hour in a car. Many offices have showers so their staff can freshen up when they get to work.

Pulaski

I am entitled to have an opinion, you don't have to agree with it.

In any case you don't know how often I have visited the area, who else I know who lives there, how much I know about California laws, or indeed very much about me at all.

petitefrancaise

But that's the problem with online forums isn't it? Sifting through answers and trying to figure out what is someone's opinion and what is actual experience or knowledge. BE is good in that there are sufficient people who will come in and correct something that is "opinion" (or BS) if it isn't correct. No point getting into fights about it, since this is actually a good thing.

sherbert

People's anecdotal opinions generally get in the way of hard, fast information. 'Helpful' comments about 'xyz where I live, which may be 3000 miles and another world away from where the person asking the question is going to live' just cause confusion IMHO. Just my 3 cents worth.

sherbert

. But I can hazard a guess that your knowledge about bike riding in California is less thorough than mine.

MidAtlantic

So we're moving from facts (really useful), opinions (interesting) to guesses (waste of time).

sherbert

Yep.

weeziewoozles

Calm down folks! You're British! Thanks for the advice people.

We're seriously considering it now so I'll start looking into costs of shipping, storage, insurance etc etc. The company haven't relocated anyone before so there's no framework to follow or "standard package".

SROrch

Useful post I've read with much interest as we are in an identical position deciding about a move from london to LA. My questions are the same as yours. Hope it all goes well. Keep me updated with developments

weeziewoozles

Thank you! We've been focusing this week on what we feel are non-negotiables. So many factors to evaluate.

vikingsail

Well everyone has an opinion and don't forget we are mainly Brits here so the opinion is going to be well...opinionated! That being said cycling is inherently a dangerous past-time whether commuting or for pleasure imho. No more evidenced than in a densely populated area like So. Ca. I say your taking your life in your hands and heart in your throat cycling in urban LA (bike paths/not lanes excluded). Its not you but them and they don't have a clue how to treat cyclists, never having been trained in the deferential art of giving way and driving rather large vehicles! I can safely say my own foray in this area lasted several months whereupon I realized it was only a matter of time before I became an accident statistic. Not convinced, but more concerned with anyone moving here thinking cycling is bucolic blighty, I leave you with this:
Will 2016 be more deadly for Southern California bicyclists than years past?

robin1234

Thanks for that article, I'd recommend all car drivers and cyclists to read it, has some very informative national and Southern California statistics. For instance, in 2014,
-- 726 cyclist fatalities in road traffic accidents
-- 32,675 total fatalities in road traffic accidents (both total U.S. figures)
What horrendous numbers! Apparently, the largest number of cyclist fatalities are hit from behind, so inattention has got to be a major cause.

My son just moved to Costa Mesa CA, he has an eight mile commute to work, apparently about half on streets and half on cycle paths. He doesn't plan to get a car, apparently the bus services are pretty good too (and cheap.)