Rebecca Saltzman is a long-time bicycle advocate and recently promoted to Co-Executive Director of Bike East Bay. She currently does not own a bicycle and relies on walking, transit, and occasional car trips for transportation. An assigned school location prompted a search for an e-bike because the neighborhood school is a 12-minute walk while the assigned school is a 45-minute walk with no direct bus. Existing bus service would take over an hour and a half with transfers and runs infrequently. The built environment and transit inadequacies drive widespread car dependence.
"I used to have a bike, but I never used it as transportation. I get around by walking, transit, and sometimes by car. The reason I'm looking for an e-bike now is that my daughter didn't get into our neighborhood school in El Cerrito, which is a 12-minute walk. There's no bus to get to the other school, which is a 45-minute walk, so we're now shopping for an e-bike. That's going to be a process."
"Streetsblog: So wait, did you just say you're shopping for an e-bike but you don't currently own a bike? Rebecca Saltzman: I consider myself an advocate for getting around without a car. One of the many things I love about BEB is that it looks at things holistically. It's not just about bikes. If you bike, you are also a pedestrian and a transit rider. Obviously, BEB is centered on biking, but it also advocates for transit and walking."
"I looked at that. It would take over an hour and a half with two buses. And the bus runs once an hour, so if you miss one... SB: Yeah, that doesn't work. How long is the drive? RS: Ten minutes. Straight uphill. The school is close. But pretty much everybody drives. This is how we built places and why our transit is so poor."
Read at Streetsblog
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