The War on Cars

EPISODE 114: John Bauters, America's Bike Mayor

Added 2023-11-07 11:01:01 +0000 UTC

I am so happy to be able to bring this episode to you from a recent West Coast swing. While I was in the Bay Area, I got to meet and ride along with John Bauters, the mayor of Emeryville, California, who has become known as "America's Bike Mayor" thanks to his relentless advocacy for active transportation in his city.

Since he was selected mayor in 2021, Bauters has gained an international reputation for his work to transform transportation and housing in the tiny city of Emeryville, which is wedged between Oakland and Berkeley on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Emeryville, population 13,000, is only one square mile in area. But it’s home to some big employers, including Pixar, and several big box stores. It also has I-80 blasting through it, and it is a major hub for Amtrak, regional rail, and freight rail. It’s a challenging environment in which to create a green city with a great active transportation network. But that’s exactly what Bauters has been working toward for his whole term.

I visited with him, rode some of the great bike and park network that Emeryville has been building, and talked about the kind of political will that’s necessary to make real change.

And we got to meet Miss Reyna, his fantastic shepherd-husky mix.

I think you'll enjoy this interview as much as I did.

—Sarah

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