I guess I'll bite
I started commuting shortly after I bought my first road bike three years ago. I did it to avoid the hell of LA traffic and continue to do it because I love to ride. It makes me feel fresh and awake when I get to where I need to go whereas driving makes me feel tired and irritated. I ride from the general La Cieniga/Wilshire area to Santa Monica and I have gone through 6 main routes in my daily commute, each is about 7-8 miles long. I bus occasionally when I have something I dont want to carry on the bike. I mainly bike since traffic sucks and I get places just as fast or faster with my bicycle. I do own a car but I try to not use it unless I really need it.
Bike lanes are good if they attract more people to ride. I much rather would like some cross town bike path that has few or no stops. I've been doing fine without them but I know many people don't ride because they're scared of the cars. Challenges? Heat, ******* drivers and distance. This city is so damn big, sometimes I just don't want to go across the city to see that small show or go to that store.
I dont have any good stories, no one gives me much trouble when I ride. That may be due to my large size or I'm just lucky to have avoided harassment. I was the victim of a hit and run two years ago that left me bed ridden for a month, but since then I have become more interested in bicycles and began to volunteer at Bikerowave.