San Francisco Mulling Congestion Charge For Commuters

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- San Francisco's Transportation Authority, made up of the Board of Supervisors, will decide next week whether to keep congestion pricing on its to-do list.

Charging drivers during peak commuter hours is up for review and may undergo further studies, or could be completely discarded.

So far it is known that the proposal under study would force motorists to pay up to $6 a day or about $1,500 dollars a year for driving in the northeast quarter of the city, crossing into greater downtown or crossing the border with San Mateo County during the morning and afternoon commute.

Tilly Chang of the Transportation Authority said the idea is to reduce traffic congestion, clean the air and raise money.

KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:

"In our city, unfortunately we have a huge backlog just in keeping up with the maintenance of our existing infrastructure," said Chang.

However, Jim Lazarus of the Chamber of Commerce said congestion pricing would devastate the city's economy and send an "anywhere but San Francisco" message to people looking for a place to shop dine or enjoy entertainment.

"To charge people up to $6 just to come in and out of downtown San Francisco during our recession to think about this is shooting ourselves in the foot," stated Lazarus.

Tuesday's decision, in which the Supervisors sitting as the Transportation Authority Board could shelve the idea or move forward with an eye toward a pilot program, but congestion pricing, could not be implemented without approval of the state legislature and perhaps even a vote by the people.

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