 | |  Why a toll on bicyclists and pedestrians is such a bad idea
- A bike/pedestrian toll is at direct odds with San Francisco’s transit-first policy, which encourages sustainable, non-congesting modes of transportation, such as biking, walking and public transit, over individual automobile trips. This proposed toll would send the exact wrong message about the priorities that San Francisco voters have approved.
- A bike/pedestrian toll is environmentally shortsighted. We know that auto trips are a major generator of air and water pollution, and a major problem for the Bay Area. To discourage people from choosing sustainable modes of transportation, such as biking and walking, will result in increased pollution. This is unacceptable.
- A bike/pedestrian toll will increase traffic congestion on the Bridge and on the overly crowded streets of San Francisco. More people will load their bikes on cars and choose to drive instead of walk across the Bridge if this toll is enacted. The Golden Gate Bridge corridor does not need more fast-moving auto traffic making our local streets less safe.
- Toll collection will burn up an unacceptable amount of Bridge District resources for the expected low return in revenue. Because maintenance and emergency vehicles need to access the Bridge pathways, it is unlikely that an automated toll collection system could be set up. Will this mean that the Bridge District hires costly staff to manually implement the toll? What about the costs of additional enforcement and auditing?
- A bike/pedestrian toll is an inequitable “user fee.” As an SFBC member pointed out recently in a “Letter to the Editor” in the SF Chronicle, bicyclists could, at most, be charged pennies, based on their weight and related wear-and-tear on the Bridge. For instance, if the average vehicle weighs 4,500 pounds and is charged a $6 toll, then the average bicycle at 20 pounds should be charged 2.5¢. Flipping this equation around, if a $1 toll is levied on bicyclists, this would equate to a $240 toll on auto drivers. (Even the SFBC thinks that’s a bit much!)
- A bike/pedestrian toll will set a poor example across the nation and will draw negative media attention to the Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay Area is considered one of the most bike-friendly regions in the country, and is an example for communities nationwide. A high-profile slap-in-the-face to bicyclists and pedestrians will not only draw intensely negative attention to the Bridge and the Bay Area (the already-hurting S.F. tourist industry will be impacted), but could also create a slippery slope as other communities try to back away from supporting forms of transportation that are more sustainable and healthy.
Bike/Ped Toll in the Chronicle
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