Public Comment

I admire people who ride bicycles, but I think it unrealistic to think that cars will eventually be eliminated from Berkeley (I've heard that statement) and that there will be a majority of the population who will use bikes and mass transit as their main means of transportation.

For example, if you have a large family (like I did) how do you get your groceries home? I used to buy 4 gallons of milk a week, plus all the other food for 3 boys.

Take your children to school? Several of them? One year I had kids in MLK, Columbus and Berkeley High.

People work in the hills: housekeepers, plumbers, construction, caregivers, etc. What about those with large families, caregiving facilities, those who work at night, those who need to manage time tightly, childcare drop offs and pickups, etc.

Get to work and back after dark? in the cold? How do you connect with BART if you live in the hills? How do you get to work if you work in the hills?

What happens when it rains?

What about the hills? Some hills are steep. How do us old and /or disabled people get around?

The plan for Hopkins Avenue will kill the businesses there. How many bicyclists buy at the liquor store, the fish market, Monterey Market? We could end up with a row of empty shops.

Data, please. 

I see the problem as thinking too narrowly about the lives of people. People are very complicated. Living is very complicated. 

Do you have any data on how many bicyclists there are in Berkeley vs. auto users? 

How many dollars should 90,000 Berkeley people invest per cyclist? 

I rarely see cyclists on the street. but lots of cars. Are there any data on the demographics of who are likely to cycle? 

For me (at age 91) the likelihood is zero. 

Can you show us some data? These bicycle plans sound like wishful thinking to me. 

If the bike people had a grand plan that included all of us, the whole thing would make more sense. Now all I hear is "We should all bike". 

Impossible for me.