S.F. considers congestion tolls on cars Board looks hard at congestion-based tolls for cars in popular areas during rush hour

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Drivers could pay $3 to enter, leave or pass through parts of San Francisco during morning and evening commutes under a proposal designed to push motorists out of their cars.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority, which has been studying the idea of imposing congestion-based tolls on city streets for nearly two years, released some of the details of its study Tuesday at a meeting of its board, which is made up of the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors.

The board won't consider recommending a congestion toll plan until February, but members nodded their heads during the report, and at least three, Jake McGoldrick, Tom Ammiano and Ross Mirkarimi, offered words of support.

"Clearly, I like where this is going," said Mirkarimi.

The congestion toll, if implemented, would be the first in the nation. Similar tolls, also known as cordon tolls, have been used in London and Stockholm, where they're credited with reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and miles driven. They also have raised tens of millions annually for public transportation improvements.

While many of the details are still being studied, Zabe Bent, principal planner for the authority, said a $3 toll was chosen because it would probably influence how many people choose to drive versus walking, biking or taking transit.

However, the actual toll price will be determined by the mayor and Board of Supervisors if they choose to move the plan ahead, said Jose Luis Moscovich, executive director of the authority.

Long process ahead

"There's going to be a long process of determining the toll," he said. "There are many variables, including social variables. The amount we arrive at may be very different."

The $3 toll would be collected on weekdays between 6 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m. - meaning the average car commuter would pay $6 a day in congestion tolls. The fees would be collected using FasTrak transponders and a network of cameras. Motorists would be able to pay via phone, the Internet or retail outlets.

Drivers interviewed downtown Tuesday said having to pay an additional $6 probably would prompt them to take public transit, drive when the tolls aren't charged or skip San Francisco altogether.

"I won't come here," said Chris Concepcion, who is retired and lives in Pleasanton. "I'll go somewhere else. There's nothing unique about some of the things in San Francisco. You can find them elsewhere."

But for those occasions when he really wants to come downtown, Concepcion said, he'd probably take BART.

Brian Gigliotto, a financial adviser who lives and works in San Francisco, wasn't sure if it would affect his commute to downtown.

"I'd either suck it up and pay it if it were a small amount," he said. "Or I'd take public transit."

Selecting a route

Planners are still considering where to collect the tolls. Initially, they considered establishing a downtown zone - a twin triangle area bounded by Washington, Jones, Turk and Harrison streets and Van Ness Avenue. Then they looked at charging fees at the city's major gateways: the Bay and Golden Gate bridges, Highway 101 and Interstate 280.

But the downtown zone was too small, and drivers would just avoid it, causing problems in adjacent neighborhoods, Bent said. And charging at the gateways would reduce traffic from outside San Francisco but might end up encouraging more driving among city residents, she said.

So the study is focusing on two other scenarios:

-- The "double-ring," which would charge a toll at gateways and another toll at the downtown zone. Tolls at one of the areas would be higher than the other - perhaps $1.50 at the gateways and $3 downtown, or vice versa.

-- The northeast cordon - a larger toll zone that would include downtown and Civic Center but also Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach and a number of other neighborhoods. The boundaries would include the waterfront on the north and east, Divisadero and Castro streets on the west and 18th Street on the south.

The congestion toll could raise between $35 million and $65 million a year - money that could be invested in transportation improvements, with an emphasis on boosting service and capacity on Muni, BART and other transit agencies that serve San Francisco.

Tolls pay for improvements

Transit improvements that could be funded with the toll include bus rapid transit on the Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard corridors, more frequent local and regional service, more regional transit parking, electrification of the Caltrain line, bicycle lanes and a bike-sharing program.

Drivers interviewed said better transit service will be necessary if the plan is to work. Tom Radulovich, a BART director from San Francisco, told the board that trains are already crowded and urged investments in BART and Muni Metro as part of the plan.

"We've already reached our design capacity," he said, "and are going to need to make investments in expanding rail capacity."

He also suggested the city consider a free-transit zone downtown - something offered in Seattle and Portland - to entice commuters.

Moscovich said the transit improvements are likely to focus on increasing the amount of transit available and the frequency of service "to be competitive with the auto."

The congestion toll plan would also offer discounts to some drivers - including taxi drivers, who would not have to pay. Low-income and disabled drivers and residents of the toll zone would pay half, and drivers who paid bridge tolls would get a $1 discount. Commercial vehicles, rental cars and car-sharing vehicles would pay a lower fleet rate.

The authority will hold public meetings on the plan in December, narrow down the options being studied in December and January, and issue its final recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in February. If the plan moves forward, environmental studies would need to be done - a process that would take two to three years.

"This is not something we're doing tomorrow," said Moscovich. "But we need to think about it today in the middle of warnings of a recession because we need to plan it today to be ready for tomorrow."

What's next Early December: Four public workshops and meetings will be held to discuss the proposal. Dec. 16: The Transportation Authority board will vote on which geographic toll approach should be pursued - where tolls should be collected and transportation improvements planned. January: Transportation Authority planners will conduct additional studies on transportation improvements, toll rates, and discounts or exemptions. February: The board will make its final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors and Mayor Gavin Newsom.