Berkeley Mayor Gives Up Car for Bus
04/20/09
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Berkeley’s mayor got rid of his car and takes the bus or walks to work every day:
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.