Polly Amrein doesn’t always stand up to speak at public meetings. But she did in May. Polly got up to the microphone and talked about the importance of building new homes near public transit at a Plan Bay Area meeting—the Bay Area’s land-use and transportation roadmap for the next 25 years.
Living near transit is important for her because “I’m now 85 and I want to still be in the world. I live in a retirement residence where they have all kinds of activities, but I want to continue to lead my life outside. I want to be able to go to dinner with my friends in the Berkeley hills like I did last night or go to a meeting in Sunnyvale as I did a couple of weeks ago. Last Saturday, I went to a movie with a friend in San Francisco, and I regularly attend League of Women Voters Transportation Committee meetings in Fremont. I don’t drive and can’t walk everywhere, so that’s why I need accessible public transportation.”
Polly lives in the Lake Park retirement home that’s within walking distance of BART and Oakland’s crown jewel, Lake Merritt. A lifelong educator, she trained teachers in Nigeria for five years, worked with blind students in Berkeley, and taught English in China for four years.
Greenbelt Alliance is committed to supporting thriving and vibrant neighborhoods that are close to public transit and friendly for pedestrians and cyclists.This will help people like Polly continue to “be in the world” and love where they live.
