Beginning in late January, the Golden Gate Bridge District invited members of the public to provide input on possible Golden Gate Bridge toll increases over the next five years at a series of in-person and digital open houses.
Published: February, 2019
Beginning in late January, the Golden Gate Bridge District invited members of the public to provide input on possible Golden Gate Bridge toll increases over the next five years at a series of in-person and digital open houses.
The public outreach plan for a proposed toll increase was approved at the December board of directors meeting as part of the district’s five-year financial planning process. The new proposal follows the conclusion of the previous five-year toll program in July 2018.
Members of the public are invited to provide comment on five toll options at open houses in Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties, as well as online. The options provide a variety of rate increases based on three payment methods: FasTrak, pay as you go (one-time payments or license plate accounts) or invoicing. Detailed information on the toll options and open houses is provided at goldengate.org.
The district is seeking input on which of the five options the board should consider for adoption in spring 2019. Any adopted toll increase would go into effect on July 1, 2019.
“We look forward to hearing the public’s input on the options presented in our five-year toll proposal at our open houses,” said Denis Mulligan, the Golden Gate Bridge District’s general manager. “We take public comment very seriously and welcome the upcoming discussion about how to keep providing excellent service to our customers, whether you drive across the Bridge or ride our buses and ferries.”
The district projected it would need to raise $75 million over the next five years to match the rising cost of goods and services. That assumes the district maintains current operations and levels of service across the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Transit, and Golden Gate Ferry.
Any revenue raised beyond the $75 million needed to fund the district’s operations would be used to improve transit service, especially on popular routes such as the Larkspur to San Francisco ferry service. For example, the district is looking to purchase a new ferry vessel and expand the number of daily ferry trips to meet the growing demand for the service.
In 2018, Golden Gate buses and ferries removed 20 percent of weekday commute traffic between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. from the Bridge, easing congestion for people driving from the North Bay into San Francisco.
The district welcomed members of the public in Marin to attend and comment on the proposed toll increases in at an open house on January 30 and will offer the following open houses and an online digital open house in February:
Sonoma County
Tuesday, February 5
from 6 to 8 p.m.
Petaluma Arts Center
230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma
City and County of San Francisco
Thursday, February 7
from 5 to 7 p.m.
Fort Mason Center Landmark Building C, Room 205
Facebook Live Event
Saturday, February 9
11 a.m.
Find them @goldengatebridge
