Proponents will be targeted for death.

[Brock Samson]

 S.F. may hit drivers with variety of tolls



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/10/MNO71GA6AK.DTL


the lead:

"Drivers crossing greater downtown San Francisco and the southern border with San Mateo County could be hit with a new toll costing them as much as $1,560 a year.

Everyone from workers to parents dropping off their kids at school could have to pay the new charge, which is designed to ease congestion and raise revenue for extra bus service, pothole repairs and bike and pedestrian improvements.

The scenarios given the most serious consideration would:

-- Charge motorists $6 to leave the northeast sector between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. The area roughly would be bordered by the northeast waterfront, Laguna Street on the west and 18th Street on the south. Among the affected neighborhoods would be South of Market, the Financial District, Union Square, Civic Center, Hayes Valley, the Mission, Chinatown, North Beach, Cathedral Hill, Mission Bay and Potrero Hill.

-- Charge $3 in each direction to cross San Francisco's southern border at Interstate 280, Highway 101, Skyline Boulevard, Lake Merced Boulevard, San Jose Avenue, Mission Street, Geneva Avenue, Junipero Serra Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

-- Charge to cross the southern border and include an extra fee to park in private lots in the northeast sector during the peak commute times. The exact cost for this hybrid version has not been determined, but likely would have a cumulative cap of about $6.

Including private parking would dovetail into the city's new SFpark experiment, which bases the cost to park at meters and in city-owned garages on demand to create more parking and keep drivers from circling in search of a space. Officials have not settled on how tolls would be collected. Possibilities include the FasTrak system now used on Bay Area bridges, paying remotely by cell phone or setting up pre-paid accounts in which the toll would be deducted every time the vehicle passes detection cameras that capture license plates."


This is in addition to a number of toll roads now being implemented around the Bay Area, the first of which came on-line a couple Mos. ago.

[RD]

so if i am understanding correctly, the sole purpose(s) of the toll roads is to ease congestion within these areas during peak times, encourage people to take mass transit, and to collect revenue to fund projects.

what do you think about this brock?  you live there.

[Neal_J]

This is similar to the congestion-pricing deal recently introduced on Highwasy 680 over the Sunol grade (SF Bay Area).  Fastrak accounts are dinged for varying $$$ depending on the congestion circumstances. 

Also same deal with PG&E's SmartMeters - which are poised to charge more for electricity/gas depending on demand and the time of day. 

Give a warm welcome Big Brother - he's in your wallet.

[68blue]

Even though I was born there, it seems like a day does not go by that makes me glad I don't live in CA any more. It sure is getting expensive.

[elacruze]

I'm tempted to point out that California killed a perfectly good public transportation system back in the '30's...maybe that wasn't so far North.

Hey, if that toll passes maybe somebody will get mad enough to attend meetings personally. 

I sympathize, but I made the decision never to live in CA the first time I visited, back in 1981. I don't think it's gotten any better.

[TK73]

I'm all for it...

[PocketThunder]

Doesn't there reach a point to which there is no more space available for cars in the city of San Francisco, which then makes driving almost impossible, which then leads people to take other forms of transit themselves.?..

Just let the street fill up, and then shut down more lanes of traffic for more cable cars and let the people who still want to drive sit in the traffic they create with their peers.   
Oh that's right, we cant think for ourselves, we need the anointed one to do it for us.

[loudmouthaussie]

sounds like the congestion charge in london. 6 pounds a day back in 05 dunno what it is now. most metro areas in the world will have something like this within next 5 to 10 years.

the subversive way to get around it? take the bus or train.

i have 4 cars (3 classics, 1 work) - and walk everywhere coz im near the city. tolls only get me when workin 

[green69rt]

S.F. may hit drivers with variety of tolls



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/10/MNO71GA6AK.DTL


the lead:

"Drivers crossing greater downtown San Francisco and the southern border with San Mateo County could be hit with a new toll costing them as much as $1,560 a year.

Everyone from workers to parents dropping off their kids at school could have to pay the new charge, which is designed to ease congestion and raise revenue for extra bus service, pothole repairs and bike and pedestrian improvements.

The scenarios given the most serious consideration would:

-- Charge motorists $6 to leave the northeast sector between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. The area roughly would be bordered by the northeast waterfront, Laguna Street on the west and 18th Street on the south. Among the affected neighborhoods would be South of Market, the Financial District, Union Square, Civic Center, Hayes Valley, the Mission, Chinatown, North Beach, Cathedral Hill, Mission Bay and Potrero Hill.

-- Charge $3 in each direction to cross San Francisco's southern border at Interstate 280, Highway 101, Skyline Boulevard, Lake Merced Boulevard, San Jose Avenue, Mission Street, Geneva Avenue, Junipero Serra Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

-- Charge to cross the southern border and include an extra fee to park in private lots in the northeast sector during the peak commute times. The exact cost for this hybrid version has not been determined, but likely would have a cumulative cap of about $6.

Including private parking would dovetail into the city's new SFpark experiment, which bases the cost to park at meters and in city-owned garages on demand to create more parking and keep drivers from circling in search of a space. Officials have not settled on how tolls would be collected. Possibilities include the FasTrak system now used on Bay Area bridges, paying remotely by cell phone or setting up pre-paid accounts in which the toll would be deducted every time the vehicle passes detection cameras that capture license plates."


This is in addition to a number of toll roads now being implemented around the Bay Area, the first of which came on-line a couple Mos. ago.

Get ready for this in other citys.  I hear London already has something similiar.  They make you buy a special pass to drive your car into downtown london. As cities get more and more strapped for cash and space they will find ways to add fees (really taxes) to pay for things.

[bull]

The government wants you to work and be a productive member of society and then they tax and penalize the piss out of you and try forcing you to use mass transit when you do.

I hereby call for a national strike. Next Monday, nobody goes to work.

[twodko]

I, for one, will NOT go to work Monday..........I got layed off 10/6!!!! hahaha

[kab69440]

If there was a mass transit solution to get me from home to work, I'd be onboard in a minute. I drive an hour and a half, one way(under ideal circumstances, i.e. veeery early morning...). I could conceivably walk a half mile from home, get on the southbound rail and arrive in the switchyard where I work. That would be three extra hours of sleep per day, not to mention an extra hundred bucks in my pocket per week. Of course, if there were any jobs that a common idiot like myself could do in my hometown, I guess it wouldn't be an issue.

[chargergirl]

Vote them out! We had the same idiocy here with a bridge that was meant to ease the commute. Every time you turned around they raised the rate to cross the bridge. To drive on this two lane bridge it is now about $4.00 one way. "We may have to raise it again because revenue has fallen way down". Brilliant! No one wants to drive the bridge and do so only when they have to. There are two other ways to go that don't cost as much in gas used so now everyone drives the two routes that this bridge were meant to ease.

[BrianShaughnessy]

Congestion charge plans aren't new.   They're not very popular either.   The goal is to reduce traffic, etc. through tolls to encourage mass transit,  most likely to make the best of our crumbling infrastructure.

Mayor Bloomberg wants it in NYC  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_congestion_pricing   but so far it's been shot down.    In that article, SF is mentioned as being after some FED$$$ also.   SFCPwiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_congestion_pricing .

Living upstate,  I think driving into NYC is crazy and I'll leave it to the inmates.  I'd rather take the train.   I can't imagine SF is any better.

As for my commute,  I'm getting old enough to where I'd probably welcome a useful mass transit system but I have a 31 mile each way run that goes across the Hudson River and no real shot at any real solution.   I'd be really interested if Jeep made a hybrid Grand Cherokee or similar deal for a commuter vehicle.   No fing yodas at my house. 

[Brock Samson]

 Well, here's the deal they talk about easing congestion, yet they closed most the length of MARKET street (the widest street west of the 'Ol; Missisip.) to regular traffic, only allowing busses, street cars Taxis and Bikes.
The Supervisors - bowing to the Bicycle Special intrests have eliminated lanes on many major traffic routes all across the city, for example Potrero - which used to be three lanes in each direction had one lane removed for a bike lane and the second remaining lane is now a Bus/Taxi only lane, "Congestion"? No SHIT Sherlock! 
And the parking? they've been raising the Parking Fines three times a Yr. it was $5.00 in 1990 $20.oo in 2000 but it's $65.oo in 2010. The latest hair brained scheme is to install parking pads under the street connected to a computer directed telephone network to time how long a car is parked ( a one hour limit)  then fine you automatically and alert circling drivers via cell phone alerts of Avail. parking spaces... The trials of that cockamamie scheme are set to begin early next Yr.
Our mayor who's funded by the Getty family money and has national Politics in his sights,.. rides to work in a chauffeur driven SUV and has his own parking spots. So he's no help at all.
This is enough to make me wanna sit in in a Supes meeting and start kicking mutherfukker's asses.

[chargerboy69]

Our mayor who's funded by the Getty family money and has national Politics in his sights,.. rides to work in a chauffeur driven SUV and has his own parking spots. So he's no help at all.

Isn't this the same douche-bag that was banging his best friends wife.  Yep, he will fit right in.   

[Silver R/T]

Cali is all screwed up, that's why there's a lot of them Cali people up here in WA