Posted on 02/15/2005 2:06:00 PM PST by Alissa
San Francisco would become the first city in the nation to charge drivers just for driving in its chronically congested downtown under a sure-to-be controversial proposal being aired today.
Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, chair of the San Francisco Transportation Authority, will ask the agency to study a downtown toll zone -- whereby drivers would need to purchase a daily pass to drive in The City's most congested streets -- as a potential solution to the Municipal Transportation Agency's woeful budget problems.
"The key issue here is if we can kill three birds with one stone -- relieve congestion, clean up the air, and give money to Muni -- we would have hit a home run," McGoldrick said.
Modeled on similar "congestion charging" zones in London, cameras would record license plates and tickets would be issued for motorists who failed to purchase a pass. The intent is for drivers to pick other routes, avoid coming downtown or switch to Muni, which would travel more efficiently in the faster flowing streets.
"When you have a situation where traffic is not moving, Muni is not moving," McGoldrick said. "If we are ever going to get Muni to move, we are going to have to get those cars out of there."
Traffic in downtown San Francisco streets has been an intractable problem since the day the Bay Bridge opened in 1936. Several downtown streets are consistently rated "F" by the Department of Parking and Traffic for low travel speeds at rush hour.
The study would determine the size of the toll zone, how much money it would generate and how much congestion it could eliminate.
McGoldrick's proposal comes at a politically opportune time, with Muni considering a controversial 25 cent raise in fares, and transit activists mounting an increasingly vocal campaign to shift Muni's budget difficulties away from the people who ride the buses.
Several long-term solutions to Muni's budget deficit have also been floated over the past few months, including the creation of a downtown "assessment district," which would essentially impose an additional tax on property owners. But that would have to be approved by two-thirds of the voters in that district and, if it were to pass, the money would not be seen for at least a year.
Additional longer term options include other taxes -- including an environmental impact fee for vehicles driving in The City; a local vehicle registration fee; an increase in the parking tax; a special parcel tax on properties within The City; and a local gas tax. All of those options would require approval by San Francisco voters, the Board of Supervisors or the California Legislature.
Sean Comey, spokesman for the American Automobile Association in San Francisco, said a downtown toll zone would unfairly punish commuters who can't take public transit. "I don't think its going to get too much further than concept," he said.
Lee Blitch, president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, worried the extra expense and hassle to get to downtown could hurt business.
"We are trying to get out of the recession, but go back into it," Blitch said.
Well somebody has to pay for all those gay weddings.
even worse.....no toll booths but if caught without a pass then what, the cops ticket you......causing more congestion? Hell, I think more people should take BART and such but this is not the way to do it......reward those that exhibit good behavior, don't punish anyone for simply driving on a street.......more BS from "I can't think of any sane solutions" liberals.......
I never go into SF anyway. It's good with me:-)
See this thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1343740/posts
Once they get the GPS receiver in your car, there'll be able to send you a bill in the mail after you visit the gas station every couple weeks.
San Freakcisco, California's largest single city-wide embarassment, continues its socialist/leftist death spiral. Continuing to drive away businesses, they continue their TAXATION of everything they can. It is the typical liberal Midas Touch, the city continues not only the elevation of its image as a law-breaking, activist, liberal trash-pit. The world's largest outdoor insane asylum, will continue downward with its lawless, activist socialist government at the helm.
I refuse to drive in San Francisco. Between BART, busses, and the trollies, I got around the city just fine.
I think tis past time this nation had itself another tea party....
No toll booths, they use camerass to read license plates and essentially send you the bill. London has a similar system and they have discussed using it in NYC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1841315.stm
No toll booths, they use camerass to read license plates and essentially send you the bill. London has a similar system and they have discussed using it in NYC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1841315.stm
http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/02/15/news/20050215_ne02_london.txt
CITIES WITH TOLL ZONES
Cities with congestion charging zones:
Trondheim, Norway (pop. 154,351)
Bergen, Norway (pop. 211,200)
Rome, Italy (pop. 2.5 million)
Durham, England (pop. 493,470)
London, England (pop. 7.2 million)
Singapore (pop. 4.2 million)
We've driven in London once. Never again.
,,, it will probably be done by readers cut into roads within designated toll zones starting on the fringes of the CBD. They'll spray your car with microdots and a satellite will read them as you enter and exit the zones. Technology used in Singapore employs reading devices on overhead beams that read cards inserted into devices in the windshields of vehicles. Users top up their cards with credits and are charged on a composite basis of roads used and peak or off peak times deducts credits on a central computer. That's pretty much old technology now, but it works well.
The homeless begging at stop lights downtown is tax enough.
haha.........all you said is so true......but I still love to visit and party there........just couldn't live there or own my own business there.....I'll show you all the hot spots without liberal activist gay lovers.....
I'd be more impressed if they'd set up a vaccination center to protect unwitting travellers going into SF.
Ah, the "trifecta" of the Socialist-Left: simultaneously dis-empower the people (restrict freedom of mobility and access), advance a false and disingenuous agenda to disguise true motives ("it's for the environment", "it's for the children", "it's for the homeless", etc.), and rape people of their earnings to line the pockets of the greedy politburo (under the guise of providing social services).
What happens in San Franciso should stay in San Franciso..
Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, chair of the San Francisco Transportation Authority, will ask the agency to study a downtown toll zone -- whereby drivers would need to purchase a daily pass to drive in The City's most congested streets -- as a potential solution to the Municipal Transportation Agency's woeful budget problems.
"The key issue here is if we can kill three birds with one stone -- relieve congestion, clean up the air, and give money to Muni -- we would have hit a home run," McGoldrick said.
I'm thinking that a municipal abattoir for registered Democrats and members of the Socialist, Communist, and Green Parties would be much more efficient at relieving congestion and cleaning the air. Plus, with the swag taken from the victims, err, I mean participants, the program would pay for itself and then some...
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