Congestion and the Global Pandemic

Amid the global pandemic, San Francisco’s first priority has been to keep our communities safe and healthy. At the start of the pandemic, congestion had mostly vanished, but we’re already starting to see it increase again.

The future beyond this pandemic is uncertain, but in the past, San Francisco’s economy has been resilient. Without intervention we expect a rebounding economy to bring the return of congestion and its negative impacts. The pandemic is spurring cities to think about the kind of future they want. The work we do now can help us plan and prepare for the recovery.

Overview

Get the latest: Visit our blog for a summer 2020 project update.

The Transportation Authority is exploring how a fee to drive downtown could get traffic moving and achieve goals around street safety, clean air, and equity. This is a strategy called congestion pricing.

To significantly reduce congestion, we estimate a congestion pricing program would need to reduce downtown car trips during rush hour by at least 15%. This could help us achieve four key goals:

Get traffic moving so people and goods get where they need to go

so people and goods get where they need to go Increase safety for people walking, biking, and driving

for people walking, biking, and driving Clean the air to support public health and fight climate change

to support public health and fight climate change Advance equity by improving health and transportation for disadvantaged communities

The best practice is to combine the congestion fee with discounts, subsidies, and incentives to make the system fair and encourage the use of sustainable transportation modes like transit, walking, and biking.

Learn more

Downtown Congestion Pricing Study Goals and Metrics (PDF)

Briefing Paper: How Does Congestion Pricing Work? (PDF)

Briefing Paper: Where Might the Money Go? (PDF)

Get Involved: Community Engagement

Through early 2021, we will work with community members to shape various scenarios for what a downtown congestion pricing program could look like.

Play Unclog Fog City

Play a digital game that lets you design your own congestion pricing program.

Watch a Video

Project manager Colin Dentel-Post gives a study overview in this 15-minute video.

Participate in an Upcoming Event

Join us August 26th for a town hall with Manny’s or September 1st for a workshop with SPUR and the SF Bicycle Coalition.

Complete a survey via text

For English: Text TRAFFIC to 415-449-4214

For Spanish: Text TRAFICO to 415-449-4214

For Chinese: Text 交通 to 415-449-4214

For Filipino: Text TRAPIK to 415-449-4214

For Russian: Text трафик to 415-449-4214

Get a Virtual Presentation

Sign up to have our project team present to your community group.

Share with your Friends

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Attend a Policy Advisory Committee Meeting

The Downtown Congestion Pricing Study receives guidance from a Policy Advisory Committee comprised of neighborhood, business, advocacy, and community representatives. We expect to hold eight Policy Advisory Committee meetings throughout the course of the study. The public will have the opportunity to attend and provide public feedback at these meetings. Sign up for our email list at the top of this page to get notified of upcoming meeting dates.