Berkeley mayor gives up his car for the bus
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, April 20, 2009
Some mayors tool around in Priuses and hybrid Civics. But Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates has taken green transit a step further.
No more cars for him, at all.
The 71-year-old mayor is trading in his 2001 Volvo for an AC Transit pass and a sturdy pair of walking shoes.
“I’m trying to reduce my carbon footprint to the absolute minimum,” he said. “I figure, if I really want to go someplace I can just rent a car.”
Bates’ long farewell to the Volvo began about a year ago, when he started walking to work as a way to lose weight and stay in shape. The 18-minute trek from his home in South Berkeley to City Hall was so invigorating he started walking everywhere he could – to Berkeley Bowl, the BART station, city council meetings.
He even bought a pedometer to tally his footsteps. His goal: 10,000 steps a day, which he has achieved nearly every day since the tabulations began May 10, 2008. Since then he’s walked 4,908,970 steps, according to the daily log he enters in his computer.
The Bates household is not entirely automobile-free. His wife, State Sen. Loni Hancock, owns a Toyota Camry hybrid, which she uses to commute to Sacramento. Hancock and the Camry are at the Capitol four days a week, however, leaving Bates with nothing but his TransLink card and his Rockports.
Bates’ decision to set the Volvo free was not easy. Like most Americans, he has a deep passion for the open road, quick acceleration and a good sound system. He has fond memories of cruising in the Volvo down Highway 1, Beethoven on the CD player, sunroof wide open.
“A car represents freedom,” he said. “For a long time I kept thinking, how would I really feel about getting rid of it? Finally I just came to the conclusion that keeping the car was ridiculous. It was just depreciating in my driveway.”
Many Bay Area mayors are taking a greener approach to transportation. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom rides in a hybrid police car for city business, and on weekends he drives his all-electric Tesla Roadster.
He also rides Muni incognito, disguised in a baseball cap, and walks when he can, said his spokesman Nathan Ballard.
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed both drive hybrids. Reed traded in his Explorer for a Prius two years ago, and McLaughlin drives a city-owned Honda hybrid.
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums is chauffeured in a Lincoln Town Car, according to press reports. A 2009 Town Car gets 19 miles to the gallon, according to Edmunds auto guide.
Bates hopes other Berkeley residents follow his lead. The city has ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over the next 40 years, and this week the city council is slated to approve a 145-page Climate Action Plan.
To encourage residents to drive less, the plan calls for more bike paths, shuttles and car-shares, increased parking rates and improved bus and rail service.
Mayors and their wheels
— Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates: AC Transit, BART, Amtrak.
— San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom: Chauffeured in a hybrid police car on city business, drives his own all-electric Tesla on the weekends. Makes occasional incognito excursions on Muni.
— Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin: Honda Civic hybrid.
— Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums: Chauffeured in a Lincoln Town Car.
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Great role model of green living. But how come so little mention of bicycling as an option or the city’s bike boulevards? It’s a must, especially when talking about green transport in Berkeley. Speaking of mayors and alternative transportation lets get Mayor Dellums in a chauffeured pedicab for BTWD.