<p>I'm a spring admit and spring 2012 is my first semester. I hear from people that the bay area transit is pretty decent that you don't need a car to get around (BART & AC transit). I'm living in unit 3 for this semester, but I'm definitely planning to move out in the fall. (But still planning to live near campus). Do many of the students own a car? What % would you say? What about juniors and seniors? is it really doable without a car for 4 years?</p>
<p>If you plan on being adventurous i.e. exploring the surrounding areas, a car is absolutely needed just because it’s California because even the most efficient public transit system can be frustrating but if you plan to limit yourself to a few regular spots (depending on where you live) where you can find access to food, shopping and other regular stuff a student needs, commuting can work for you.</p>
<p>It’s very nice having a car here. If you’re used to SoCal you might go crazy without one and end up cornering yourself in a one-mile radius bubble for 4 years. Public parking permit is only 36/year and it’s worth it even though I walk to campus and only use my car for grocery shopping and exploring. However, parking permit on campus for commuters is something like 300/semester so that’s not worth paying cheaper rent to live farther from campus. I’d say about half the people I’ve met here have cars. It’s definitely doable without one and SO many people (including most of my professors) bike it anyway, but I’m a lazy bum from SD and I’m really happy I brought my car. Just watch out when you go do touristy stuff because there’s no public parking in the city like anywhere ever.</p>
<p>I have to disagree with the other two posters. A car is definitely not needed, especially not when you’re in Unit 3. The only reason I would suggest getting a car is if you live far away from campus. If you live close to campus, no need. Walking can get you pretty much anywhere within Berkeley, and the AC Transit (bus system) can take you anwhere else that walking can’t. If you want to go have fun in San Francisco, you can take the BART for fairly cheap, and avoid dealing with the hassle of parking. Just no real reason to have a car, since you 1)can get everywhere by walking and bus 2)Parking is hard to find in Berkeley 3)Parking is also expeensive year-round (I’m talking about parking for apartment garages here, though it seems the public parking permits are cheap, according to Keely?)</p>
<p>I know a bunch of people who have bikes though, so once you get out of the dorms, a bike might not be a bad idea, but it’s not necessary either.</p>
<p>I second nillawafer. You can get everywhere you would * need * to with public transport + a bike. That being said if you want to “explore,” a car would help save time since AC transit basically comes whenever it feels like (apart from the morning times - from my 1 semester of experience as a commuter) and limits you to the area within SF, Richmond, Fremont and Castro Valley. I have met quite a few upperclassmen and even two grad students who have managed without a car (though asked their friends for a ride every now and then). </p>
<p>If you already have a car, why not try without one, and if you feel like you need it, bring it over the next time you go home.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your replies!! It really helped… Yeah I’m from SoCal so having a car was kinda necessary in my area. But when I went to CalSO last time, I was able to manage without a car. Do you feel left out without a car? I mean, if most of my friends at Berkeley own a car, I would probably feel left out… haha</p>
<p>Most people at Cal do not own a car. Approximately half of juniors and seniors have cars, but they generally don’t use them very often.</p>
<p>As for me, I just ride my bike everywhere. It’s almost as fast as a car, there’s never parking troubles, it gets me in shape, and allows me to explore.</p>
<p>I have no plans of getting a car at the moment. I’d imagine I’d make a car-worthy trip once per month and take the occasional roadtrip, but other than that, I just can’t picture myself using one.</p>
<p>I lived in Unit 3 for 2 years and definitely did not need a car. Moved to an apartment junior year and brought my car from home. Percentages are probably about:</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore at Cal. I have not met anyone so far that drives a car around the city. Then again, most people I know there are freshmen or sophomores. I would agree that more juniors and seniors probably have cars</p>
<p>I lived 10 years in the Bay Area. I lived in SF, and worked in Berkeley, near the campus. After one year, I decided to get a car; why? I lived a short walk in SF from the BART station, BART was also close to my office. The only additional “perk” with a car is the insurance; ha-ha, like that was a perk. I also lived 3 blocks from Safeway. Look at how close you’ll be to public transportation, how close you’ll be to shopping, and how much you’ll want to walk; if needed.</p>
<p>Should you desire to visit the parks in the hills a lot, you may want a car; again, you can get by perfectly in the Bay Area without a car.</p>