As a person who drives home from Redwood City to Downtown SF every, I'd rather wait a few minutes in gridlock than deal with being charged daily to drive downtown.
Oh, the wacky news from SF just doesn't stop. We're at critical mass here folks...
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.
I agree that SF is a beautiful city, physically. It's a very sick city, mentally. I moved from SF to Honolulu, which is equally a beautiful place with it's own problems. Today I live in San Antonio, which is not as beautiful, but for the most part mentally healthy.
More soviet socialist smart growth for the Marxist common good - penalizing individuals by demanding a tribute for using their private property.
SF is run by thieving pirates.
Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News."
If they could find a way to tax sodomy their problems would be at an end.
Ping!
Brilliant leftie - rat thinking (no pun intended).....
And KILL all those mom and pop entrepreneurial businesses.
Where else could you kill four birds with one stone....!
My great great great gandfather helped found the city with general vallejo. I hate the city of urine.
Only in the tagline.
The feds will have to sign off on this as some of these streets are part of the national highway system, and there may be restrictions whether the city can charge tolls to drive on them. Also, the state of California would probably have to do the same.
As a Texan, I'm all for San Francisco doing this, it only helps push more business relocations to TX.
Hey, maybe that explains that strange culinary experience I had in Chinatown out there...
I see you're spamming your total BS again. Are you by chance Willie Green?
I agree with you.......SF is not nearly as bad as their politics and bad press say it is....it is a great place to visit and hang out in and the tourist spots are very fun. Unless you are in the Castro, you see limited gay pride and some of the funnest restaurants are in North Beach....but of course, they get so much bad press I don't blame most of those unfamiliar with it to see it in that light....
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