<p>My daughter (Berkeley sophomore) has walked from the Rockridge BART to campus, two nights in a row, at about 9:30pm, because she said the scheduled AC Transit bus never showed up. She is coming back from her part-time job. Then after studying at the library for awhile, she walks back to her apartment at Haste and Fulton.</p>
<p>I worry that this is not safe for a young woman alone and suggested she use BearWalk. She says "no one does" and that there are still lots of people out and about on the streets so it is therefore reasonably safe. (She does carry a tear gas spray on her keychain.) Am I over-worrying?</p>
<p>what is rockridge? i’ve never heard of it…but it is probably far. no, this probably isn’t safe. i was walking back to my apartment at 9 PM and a drug dealer hassled me…that was the scariest thing ever. and did i mention it was only 9 PM…</p>
<p>tell her she should use bearwalk. a lot of people use it, although i haven’t yet haha.</p>
<p>yeah seriously. Rockridge BART to campus? Your D’s gonna have some nice calves by the end of the semester. The area kinda goes from not-shady to shady to not-shady. It seems like a decent area the few times I’ve been there, but there are dark areas and I’d hate to walk alone through those places.
Does BEARwalk even get down to Rockridge? I’m imagine the guard would be scared to walk alone down there, seeing as how the pickups by car don’t start until 2 am.</p>
<p>insertname - I think Rockridge BART is about 2.5 miles south on College Ave, in Oakland technically - from my quick look on Google maps. Actually, I don’t even think BearWalk goes that far. Where were you when you got hassled?</p>
<p>Campanilee - She has mentioned a bike - but that worries me even more at night! I guess I am just a worrier! Well, normally she takes the bus, but for some reason it didn’t show up these past two nights. So hopefully, that won’t be a frequent occurrence.
But what about coming home from the Doe library to Haste and Shattuck area at midnight? Is that something most people would be comfortable with?
Thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about coming from Doe library to Haste/Shattuck as much as from Rockridge BART to Haste/Shattuck.</p>
<p>51B is one of the most frequent buses of all AC transits that come by so she should walk along College Ave and get on 51B as she sees it. I have to say though, College Avenue is not as dangerous as Telegraph ave.</p>
<p>batman - I didn’t see your reply yet when I posted - yes, you are right, I just checked - BearWalk doesn’t even go there. haha…her calves are already nice enough!</p>
<p>But seriously, is it true that “no one” uses BearWalk? It seems like such a good idea to me. I would still like to see her use it when she comes home from the library to her apartment late at night.</p>
<p>Where is her job? Anyway she can get on the orange line instead of the yellow? She could take that to downtown berkeley, and then call bear-walk or take ac transit.</p>
<p>Hmm, I don’t necessarily agree with all of those who say College is so safe. Just a few days, someone linked us to a post a few months back by a male student who posted about how he was robbed at gunpoint and thrown into a moving vehicle near College and Stuart at only about 10 (about the same place/location/time your daughter would be at if she were walking back from Rockridge, I think…). And there have been numerous robberies and armed robberies near/on College. Telegraph Avenue isn’t the only unsafe place in Berkeley. I say this as someone who lives pretty close to college. I walk back from campus to my apartment at 9:30 sometimes, and I live pretty close to College and Parker. I consider even that to be somewhat unsafe. If it’s after 10, regardless of what the scenario is, I always use bearwalk. The idea that no one uses bearwalk is dumb. I see a lot of people walking with the bearwalk officers. Sure, the first time it might be embarrassing to walk with an officer, but you get used to it, the officers are friendly (and they’re all fellow students anyway) and it’s better than being mugged late at night. </p>
<p>Personally, I think what your daughter is doing is really unsafe (walking those 2.5 miles back to Berkeley in sketch areas–even somewhat safe areas in Berkeley become sketch at night). Your daughter should just wait for the 51b, unless she feels that waiting at the bus stop area is more unsafe than walking back. The 51b is notoriously late, but it still comes frequently enough that you generally shouldn’t have to wait more than 20 minutes.</p>
<p>Also, she should consider using BearWalk for coming back from the library to Haste/Fulton. I’m assuming she sometimes stays at the library until 2 AM, which is the closing time for the late night studying at Main Stacks. Walking back from Doe to Haste/Fulton alone at 2 AM is not something I would recommend. Sure, it’s not far from campus, but she’s taking her chances by not doing it.</p>
<p>Edit: Just saw hockeykids’ post, and I think that sounds like a good idea if she can’t get on the 51b at College.</p>
<p>hockeykid - don’t know exactly where her job is - it is tutoring high school kids in the Rockridge BART vicinity I think. Good suggestion, I will mention to her.</p>
<p>Thank you for that perspective, nillawafer. That is more in tune with my thinking. </p>
<p>I will show her all these replies and hopefully won’t get the eye roll and “oh mom” response!</p>
<p>Tease (read as “threaten”) her with a parental visit. ;D
Just tell her that it is honestly pretty unsafe to be walking alone at night for a long time. You might get away with it a few times (hell even the entire semester), but there’s always a chance. And crimes here are no joke. I think it was like a year ago, a guy was shot around 3am near Ashby. Don’t know what he did, but I doubt he really tried to fight the robber.
Found it:
[Berkeley</a> slaying victim was planning to marry | Berkeleyside](<a href=“http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/09/13/berkeley-slaying-victim-planning-to-marry/]Berkeley”>http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/09/13/berkeley-slaying-victim-planning-to-marry/)
Kinda wack.</p>
<p>Batman - haha…a threat like that might get her into action!
And yes, I remember that very sad story. (I read all the crime news, probably why I’m such a worrier!)</p>
<p>I think there is enough evidence to convince her that maybe using a little more caution isn’t so dumb, after all. It also just occurred to me, maybe the tutoree’s parent can drop her off. By car it wouldn’t take very long. </p>
<p>NO ONE uses Bearwalk? I guess I’m no one then. (reminds me of the song: No one, no one, no one uh uh…)</p>
<p>I uses Night Safety shuttles a lot. If she’s getting off before 10pm and calling Bearwalk, she might have to wait at least another 20 min before it comes. [I tried Bearwalk at around the same time 9:30ish at Downtown Berkeley Bart and they didn’t come after a 20min wait and I called to cancel and walk back to my apt (18 min walk) myself].</p>
<p>So I totally understand why she just end up walking. BUT she should call BearWalk when walking home from library since Bearwalk operates at the area. I’m not sure if there are any other safer alternatives if she’s coming back from Rockridge though. Rockridge is not brightly lit and all. I don’t feel safe walking in the day. At night, I try not to walk long distances if I can.</p>
<p>I used the shuttle a lot, but not bearwalk …
and frankly, Haste and Shattuck is not that far and pretty safe. stick to Bancroft & Shattuck to walk and she shouldn’t have trouble
I used to live few blocks down south (further from campus) and I walked back home all the time.
I normally went back home around midnight and I wasn’t too concerned… It’s past dwight where things might get a bit shady but up to dwight, it’s basically a giant student town</p>
<p>I’m usually the type to say that people are over-reacting in terms of danger, but I’ll have to agree with you here that you have some real concerns.</p>
<p>Rockridge BART to Haste/Fulton is a very long walk (over 2 miles). It’s actually so far that it’s more than a mile outside BearWalk’s service area, which ends at Ashby Ave for pickup. Plot it out on Google Maps and see for yourself.</p>
<p>I understand the bus is unreliable, but if this is a regular commute, I heavily suggest that your daughter get a bicycle; it shortens the trip and makes her much less likely to get targeted as she’ll be moving fast and in the middle of a reasonably well-lit road.</p>
<p>Also, BART from Rockridge -> Downtown Berkeley: also recommended if it’s late. There’s just less things to go wrong.</p>