Editorials

If your parents are springing for tuition and room and board during your first semester at Cal but not for a Honda Element, don’t be bummed—Berkeley’s many public transportation options combined with the city’s bicycle friendly atmosphere make driving seem so 20th century you might even consider joining the Green party.  

The time-honored choice for the wheel-less student has always been the bus, and Berkeley is no exception--especially when it’s free. As part of Cal’s “Class Pass” program, all enrolled students can ride AC transit anytime, anywhere gratis. All you have to do is pick up a “Class Pass” at Cal’s photo ID office located in the student union. AC transit estimates that Cal students take three million trips a year on its lines. 

Affectionately referred to as “Aunt Clara” by locals, AC Transit gets its name from the counties it serves, Alameda and Contra Costa. The AC lifeline for most Cal students is the legendary 51. It stops right in front of Sproul Plaza for service to Downtown Berkeley and points north. Just a block south on Durant you can catch the 51 as it heads south to Oakland. Another popular choice for students is the 40 line that makes its way to Oakland via Telegraph Avenue. 

If you’re out clubbing, AC Transit offers its owl service from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. nightly, but the buses only run once an hour. There is also an owl bus from San Francisco into downtown Oakland.  

Nearly all AC Transit buses are equipped with easy-to-use bicycle racks mounted on the front of the bus. You can bring your bicycle along any time of day without an extra fare or permit. 

For more information on AC Transit services, schedules, routes and fares, visit their website at www.actransit.org. 

You probably already know about Berkeley’s other public transportation option, BART. But, did you know that the rail line passes through its three Berkeley stops entirely underground because of the insistence of Berkeley officials at the time BART was being designed in the early 1960s? No other Bay Area city can make that claim and few are as well served by the transit line. 

BART stops in Berkeley near the Oakland border on Ashby between Adeline and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way; in downtown Berkeley at Shattuck and Allston Way; and in north Berkeley along Sacramento between Virginia and Delaware.  

One-way fares to and from all the Berkeley stations are a reasonable $1.15. A one-way fare to downtown San Francisco from the downtown Berkeley station is $2.75 and $5.15 to the new San Francisco Airport station. At $1.75 BART is also an affordable option for getting to the Oakland airport—just get off at the Coliseum station and take the bus shuttle service to the nearby airport.  

The only downside to BART is that it shuts its gates at midnight, but if you make it to the station before then you won’t turn into a pumpkin, as trains continue to run past midnight.  

Bikes are also welcome on BART, but not during commute hours or on crowded cars. The Downtown Berkeley station is particularly bike friendly and offers a free, attended bike parking lot weekdays from 7:30 to 8 p.m. For more information visit BART’s website at www.bart.gov/. 

With its relatively flat terrain, most of Berkeley is readily accessible by bike. Thanks to several dedicated bike lanes near campus, it’s also a safer option than in other communities. However, it’s not like a Critical Mass rally everyday out on the streets of Berkeley either. Cycling is not allowed on campus (remember to walk your bike) and the Berkeley police have been known to pull over and cite bicyclists that fail to stop at stoplights.  

While bikes have gotten more technologically advanced and pricier in recent years, there are still two-wheeled bargains to be had. Downtown Berkeley’s venerable Missing Link bike store offers not only a wide selection of new street and mountain bikes, but used ones they’ve refurbished as well. Prices on used bikes range from $150 to $300. And, if you just need a bike for the day, rentals are available from $25 to $35. For more information, visit the store’s website at www.missinglink.org. 

If you absolutely have to get somewhere by car, Cal’s radio station KALX 90.7 FM offers the “Ridefinder”--a unique alternative to renting a car or borrowing your roommate’s hatchback. The Ridefinder, read everyday at 3 p.m. by the on-air DJ, is a listing of rides being offered and requested by KALX listeners. A name and phone number is given, then it’s up to you. The service is mostly used for people needing longer rides such as to Los Angeles.