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http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_16631039
Peninsula residents are upset about a proposal to charge commuters $6 each
weekday to enter and exit San Francisco to the south, calling the plan "a
slap in the face," "a crazy idea" and "ridiculous."
Already dealing with some of the nation's highest gas prices and, in some
cases, hefty parking fees, drivers crossing the San Mateo County-San
Francisco border would pay rush hour tolls to fund local transportation
upgrades and, in theory, reduce traffic jams, under a proposal by San
Francisco officials.
Officials said they would spend $60 million to $100 million to set up the
electronic system, coupled with local transit improvements, starting in 2015
. It would be the first local "congestion pricing" system in the country and
could begin as a 6-to-12-month pilot program that, if successful, could
become permanent.
Under the plan, drivers leaving or entering San Francisco at the southern
border would pay $3 from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and another $3 from 3:30 to 6:30
p.m. on weekdays, with a daily cap of $6. Commuters would pay up to $130 per
month, or $1,500 in a year, if the tolls last that long.
"That would cover all my utility bills. It would be a new bill that I cannot
afford," said Loraine Lee, 28, who lives in Daly City two blocks from the
San Francisco border and commutes to a property management company on
Treasure Island. She said because of the hours of her job and lack of
transit options, she'd have no choice but to pay the toll.
"I think this whole toll is ridiculous."
And non-commuters like Daly City's Annie Lyn and Mary Tevis, who travel to
San Francisco daily for shopping and other trips, would have to change their
lifestyles to avoid the toll times.
Daly City Councilman David Canepa said he thought the worst part of the plan
was that it was being done "under the guise of trying to get people to take
public transportation."
"It's absolutely nonsensical," said Canepa, who also called the plan
terrible, atrocious and egregious. "It's a slap in all of our faces. They're
trying to make San Mateo County residents pay a tax because over the years
they haven't made proper investments in their infrastructure."
Locals also wondered why San Francisco would be getting all the money even
though the border is shared by both counties, and what would stop other
cities from copying them.
"We could do the same thing; it'd be a nightmare," warned Assemblyman Jerry
Hill, D-San Mateo, of a toll at the same border to fund Peninsula projects,
or tolls at each of the borders of all the local cities. "It sounds like
another crazy idea. Where do you stop nickel and diming people? You should
be able to travel from city to city without paying a toll."
Taxis and emergency vehicles would be exempt while some other drivers, such
as low-income residents or those that already crossed a toll bridge that day
, could receive discounts. Tolls would be collected electronically, via
Fastrak and cameras, for those crossing the border on highways and major
arterial streets. There are also dozens of local residential streets that
cross the border, although there are no plans to charge tolls there.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority said the pilot program
could take place either at the southern border or in the northeast part of
the city.
Tilly Chang, a deputy director at the agency, argued the toll would decrease
traffic because people would alter their commute times and take transit to
save money. The authority predicts traffic at the city's southern border
would drop 20 percent during commute times after tolling.
"The cost of anything needs to be taken in context," Chang said. "It's not
free right now. People are paying in time and having to pad their trip."
Nearly half a million drivers cross from San Mateo County into San Francisco
each day on one of five highways, Caltrans data shows. By contrast, only
about 20,000 people ride BART between the Peninsula and San Francisco each
weekday, and another 10,000 take Caltrain, according to those agencies'
records.
Chang said the toll would generate $60 million to $80 million in profits
each year and would be spread out on projects to improve roads, transit, and
bicycle and pedestrian networks.
The authority's board could approve further study at its meeting next month
and the city's supervisors would need to endorse the finished plan. The
state would also have to pass legislation allowing it, and it's even
possible voters would need to approve the charges.
Another hurdle is the upfront cost, although the federal government
previously offered New York City $350 million in hopes of persuading that
city to launch the nation's first congestion tolling program. That plan died
. Similar tolls are used abroad in Stockholm, London and Rome. | n***b
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发帖数: 5914 | 4 住南sf一带要是还要过桥上班就意味着每天12块的固定开销了 |
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