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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

April/May 2003

Voters May Be Asked to Raise Tolls for Transit

Is a $3 bridge toll an idea whose time has come? In the eyes of state Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland), the answer is a resounding “yes.” At an April press conference, Perata unveiled details about his Senate Bill 916, which calls for increasing tolls on seven state-owned toll bridges in the Bay Area from the current $2 to $3 to fund expansion of the region’s public transit network. If the bill makes it through the Legislature and past the governor’s desk, the toll hike and expenditure plan would go before Bay Area voters in the March 2004 elections. The seven-county measure would need a majority vote.

“My bill requires that the funds from the proposed toll go only to projects that will reduce traffic crossing bridges and their approaches,” said Perata.

MTC has been working closely with Perata’s staff on an expenditure plan for the approximately $125 million to be generated annually by the $1 toll hike, and in April acted to support the bill with amendments. The plan is the product of a six-month fact-finding, analysis and consensus-building process that involved the nine county congestion management agencies, the region’s seven largest public transit operators, the Bay Area Water Transit Authority, Caltrans, and stakeholders represent- ing business, environment and social equity interests.

The expenditure plan lists $1.4 billion worth of rail extensions, new bus and ferry lines, and the like (see box). The list includes several critical capital projects that have languished for years due to lack of funding, including seismic strengthening of BART’s transbay tube.

Recognizing that the region cannot add capacity to its transit systems without providing new funds for maintenance, fuel and the like, SB 916 also sets aside up to $48 million per year from the toll hike as operating revenue.

In addition, the plan invests in new technology that promises to make riding transit more convenient. Falling into this category is a $42 million earmark for the TransLink® “smart card” fare payment system, which six transit agencies have been testing. The infusion of cash would help MTC install the system regionwide, enabling riders to use one card for all their bus, rail and ferry trips.

“Considering that the Golden Gate Bridge already charges a $5 toll, a $3 toll on the other bridges would be a relative bargain, especially when you consider that the revenue would go directly to a number of critical mass transit projects that otherwise would be stalled,” said Randy Rentschler, MTC’s manager of Legislation and Public Affairs.
— Brenda Kahn
Key Projects Proposed to Be Funded With $1 Toll Hike
Figures in millions of dollars
  • $150 Replacement of San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal
  • $143 Seismic strengthening of BART’s transbay tube
  • $135 Commuter rail over Dumbarton rail bridge
  • $100 Improvements to Interstate 80/ Interstate 680 interchange
  • $96 Rail extension to East Contra Costa County (e-BART)
  • $79 New and expanded ferry service with additional berthing in San Francisco
  • $65 Enhanced AC Transit bus service
  • $65 Tri-Valley Rapid Transit Corridor improvements
  • $45 BART extension to Warm Springs in South Bay
  • $42 Installation, integration and operation of TransLink® smart card fare system
  • $30 BART connector to Oakland International Airport
  • $22 Enhanced transbay express bus service
San Mateo Toll Booth
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