<p>Does it really pay to have a car at Berkeley?</p>
<p>Most will tell you no. It's difficult to get parking, and if you do, it's usually expensive. Often, your spot is a distance from where you need to be. On top of that, most would agree that the transportation in Berkeley is excellent, to the point that you don't need a car.</p>
<p>Berkeley</a>, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>Thank for the information</p>
<p>If you can get an apartment with good parking, then do it. If not, then getting a parking permit costs a lot of money. </p>
<p>I know quite a few people with cars here. They park it in their apartment garages.</p>
<p>If you can't get it with your apartment, it's not worth it. It's probably not worth it then, either, but it can be handy to have your own car sometimes.</p>
<p>Consider that there are plenty of ways to get around having one, though. Berkeley is pretty walkable. There is public transportation connecting you to most things, including San Francisco. There are a ton of local car rental companies and car share programs worth considering (and yes, some even let 18-year-olds rent).</p>
<p>For the most part, owning and having a car is just going to be a hassle.</p>
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If you can get an apartment with good parking, then do it. If not, then getting a parking permit costs a lot of money.
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<p>Expensive? A residential street parking permit costs $30 a year. I don't know about you, but I would hardly call that expensive. </p>
<p>RPP:</a> Residential Preferential Parking - City of Berkeley, CA</p>
<p>The real problem is not the cost, it's the fact that just having a permit doesn't actually mean that you will be able to find parking near where you live. Many a time have I and others spent circling around over and over again looking for open spots. </p>
<p>What I would say is this. Berkeley street parking is actually quite manageable as long as you don't need to always park close to where you live, as there is always some street parking available, it just tends to be remote. You can also take advantage of parking at the numerous metered spots at night (when the meters are off), just as long as you move your car before the meters come back in force in the morning (which is when many Berkeley residents drive off to work, hence freeing up numerous street spots).</p>
<p>I was referring to campus parking, because yes, most people can't find residential street parking. </p>
<p>UC</a> Berkeley Parking & Transportation</p>
<p>Many people I know do buy campus parking permits (some lots have 24/7), but they do cost a bit of money.</p>
<p>Just be aware that they really do ticket here. Frequently and with abandon. Expired tags? Ticket. Half an hour over the time limit in a paid parking lot (even with no other cars in the area)? Ticket. Parking in an unmarked university-owned lot which is reserved for game parking the next day? Ticket.</p>
<p>There are a lot of incidental costs to having a car here. Remember, also, that gas in the area tends to run on the high side -- $3.35 when it's $3 in SoCal, for example. Plus coastal area with daily fog. Plus one with limited parking, especially if you actually intend to park near the place you're going to.</p>
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I was referring to campus parking, because yes, most people can't find residential street parking
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<p>Nah, like I said, you can always find street parking somewhere, it's just a matter of how far away are you willing to park from where you want to be.</p>
<p>Besides, if you're a student living on campus, then residential street parking should be fine. After all, you're probably not going to use your car very much anyway (perhaps for weekly grocery runs or weekend trips). Hence, you can just find one spot on the street and have your car sit there for the rest of the week when you're not using it. That means you only have to search for parking maybe once a week or so.</p>
<p>I know North Berkeley isn't exactly a high crime area, but I know it always made me nervous to leave my car unattended somewhere half a mile away from where I was and completely out of the way from where I'd need to be for a few days at a time. </p>
<p>It's true that there is plenty of street parking if you don't mind going far off for it. The only thing you have to worry about there is getting it in an area where you have a permit and making sure you have somewhere else to be during street sweeping hours. </p>
<p>Do note that not all areas of Berkeley have access to parking permits, however. If you live in one of the downtown apartments, you won't have permission to buy a residential pass AND your apartment building is unlikely to have its own space.</p>
<p>The Bay Area has an excellent system of public transportation, so you don't need a car. But it always is nice to have one...</p>
<p>I agree with undecided. I wouldn't want to keep my car alone for a week in an area far away from my apartment. Ticketing is common and you never know when someone might try breaking into your car. </p>
<p>If you are living in the dorms and can't get good parking, then don't bring it. However I think it's fine to bring it after you live off campus, especially if your apartment has good parking. Having a car allows you to work in areas previously inaccessible by BART and bus. For example, I worked far away and had to bus 40 minutes one way....even though it only took 15 minutes to drive (my friend drove me one day). The buses were frequently late. </p>
<p>Some people who work far away bring their cars, and it is useful. I would have brought mine since my apartment building has good parking, if my parents had let me.</p>
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I wouldn't want to keep my car alone for a week in an area far away from my apartment. Ticketing is common
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<p>Uh, ticketing for what? Once you have the resident parking sticker, you are completely legal. The only thing I can see is the street sweeping, but that only happens once a month or so. Just pay attention to the signs of wherever you have parked so that you know when you have to move the car somewhere else. </p>
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and you never know when someone might try breaking into your car
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<p>I profoundly disagree: I would say that actually parking on the street is actually safer than parking it in most garages. Why? The street is public. That means that, as a potential thief, you never know when some some cop car, is going to come rolling by. But a garage isn't public. Which means that you can take your sweet time breaking in. </p>
<p>I say this from experience. I had parked my car on the street for years, and never had it broken in not even once, not even when I had (foolishly) left the window down and parked it on the street for a couple of weeks. Yep, the window was completely rolled down, and nobody tried to rip off the radio or anything. But then I got an apartment with a garage, and within a year-and-a-half, it was broken into 3 times. One time, the guy busted the ignition lock trying to steal the car (but was evidently unsuccessful). </p>
<p>Let's not kid ourselves here. Garages and parking lots ain't that safe. Cars parked in garages and lots get busted into all the time.</p>
<p>I live in North Berkeley, Gourmet ghetto area: down Cedar. It's a pain in the ass walking to campus each day, but the good thing is there is residential street parking where no permit is needed right across the street from my place. I have my car here, but I only use it maybe once a week, and I probably need to use my car more than the average person. It's a nice luxury, sure, but if you live in the downtown area, it isn't worth the hassle at all.</p>