San Francisco kills plan to charge $6 entrance fee from south

By Mike Rosenberg mrosenberg@bayareanewsgroup.com

Posted: 12/14/2010 02:28:56 PM PST

Updated: 12/14/2010 02:41:08 PM PS

Bowing to intense pressure from the Peninsula, San Francisco supervisors today killed an idea to charge commuters up to $6 daily to enter and exit the city from the south.

The supervisors, acting as the city's transportation authority, voted 9-2 to scrap the proposal and instead will study whether to charge a toll only to downtown commuters.

Under the plan struck down today, commuters would have paid up to $1,500 per year to cross the San Francisco-San Mateo County border via freeways and major streets during morning and evening rush hour. Officials in San Francisco would have collected up to $80 million annually in revenue to fund local transportation projects.

Instead, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve an in-depth study of a proposal that would charge commuters $3 each way to enter or exit the city's downtown, bordered by Laguna and 18th streets, during peak traffic times. They also approved study of an idea to toll commuters $6 per day to leave the downtown in the evening.

If either of the ideas is approved by city leaders some two to three years from now, the state Legislature would have to approve the toll before it could take effect in 2015. Voters may also have their say.

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Posted by Steve Sinai