For many residents in Los Angeles, biking is more than just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. In a city that’s often riddled with traffic, especially during peak hours, choosing to bike to work can save loads of time as well as help save the environment. However, this depends on which neighborhood you live in. 

For those who commute between bicycle-friendly neighborhoods, travel time can sometimes beat the time it takes to go to work in a car. But if you’re a resident living in a neighborhood with no bike lanes (or bike racks), filled with speeding cars and cracked roads, cycling can quickly become dangerous and time-consuming.

Luckily, Los Angeles welcomes the cyclist lifestyle in several neighborhoods that offer bike lanes, helpful routes, scenic bike paths, and even bicycle parking and amenities. Here are five of LA’s most bicycle-friendly neighborhoods. 

Venice

Filled with pedestrian-friendly streets, bike lanes, and bike trails, the sunny beachside neighborhood of Venice is considered one of the most bicycle-friendly communities in Los Angeles County. 

According to Walk Score, Venice has a total bike score of 80. While there are several bike trails throughout Southern California that are sure to rock your world, one of the best trails is the 22-mile Marvin Braude Bike Trail, a path that travels through Venice as well as other neighborhoods, including the Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach. 

West Los Angeles

While San Vicente Boulevard in West Los Angeles might not be the most fun street to drive during traffic, its marked bike lanes offer an efficient and scenic route through the Westside to Santa Monica Pier.

For those residents who are new to the city, a ride along the San Vicente bike route in West LA can give a firsthand look at the mixture of homes, restaurants, and shops on the Westside. Not to mention, the closer cyclists ride towards the beach, the more scenic the route becomes. 

Per Walk Score, West LA had a bike score total of 84, which ranked even higher than Venice. Perhaps due to the neighborhood’s wide streets, this area is often filled with large groups of bicycle riders on the weekends. 

West Adams

The historic neighborhood of West Adams is not just popular with USC students, it’s also a favorite among cyclists partly due to its tranquil residential streets and wide roads, but also because the neighborhood sits near the center of LA.

It helps that there are several stop signs throughout West Adams, keeping cars from driving too fast and making it safer for cyclists. In recent years, the Metro has added a bike station to the neighborhood, so residents can leave their car at home if they want to check out one of the neighborhood’s many coffee shops or parks.

West Adams, which is located slightly south of Mid-City, offers residents a central location to bike to both ends of LA in roughly the same amount of time.

Palms

With bike lanes, scooters, the Expo Line, quiet residential streets, and a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere overall, the Culver City-adjacent neighborhood of Palms is among LA’s best bike-friendly communities. The popular neighborhood is also considered a millennial magnet thanks to its proximity to coffee shops, restaurants, parks, trendy bars and lounges, and entertainment hotspots.

There are a slew of great eateries and small businesses that can be found along the bike-friendly Venice Boulevard, which is the neighborhood’s main drag with marked bike lanes. Some restaurants even offer bike racks, which is ideal for riders who want to take a break from their trip to cool down or grab a bite to eat. 

Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA)

One of LA’s most bustling communities is the neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, which is known for being a pedestrian and cyclist paradise. With new luxury residences and mixed-use buildings being built, in addition to the neighborhood’s new Metro stations and blocks filled with museums, restaurants, shops, dive bars, and rooftop lounges, biking through DTLA is well worth a trip.

Since parking is notoriously awful in DTLA, riding a bike through the neighborhood can save cyclists time and money from looking for a parking spot or paying at a lot. There are also plenty of bike racks stationed throughout the neighborhood. Even for those who don’t own a bike, commuters are welcome to use one of the Metro’s many bike shares in the area.