(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) - Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation authored by Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Marc Levine (D-Marin County) prohibiting sidewalk tolls at the Golden Gate and state-owned toll bridges.
"This is a great victory for our efforts to fight climate change and to preserve access to California's heritage," said Ting. "Finally, a bad idea is off the table. No community in the nation has a sidewalk toll. We should not nickel and dime people pursuing healthy transportation alternatives or recreating on our network of parks, paths, and trails that we have built around the Bay Area to promote active lifestyles."
"This legislation continues California's efforts to encourage people to get out of their cars and to walk and bike instead," said Levine. "California is a world leader in fighting climate change and protecting the environment. This bridge is an iconic landmark that must continue to be free for pedestrians and bicyclists from California and from all over the world."
All toll bridges in California are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Golden Gate, the Antioch, the Benicia-Martinez, the Carquinez, the Dumbarton, and the eastern span of the Bay Bridge have bicycle and pedestrian crossings. Currently, there are no tolls for cyclists and pedestrians to cross any of these bridges.
Assembly Bill (AB) 40 was inspired by a recurring proposal to establish a sidewalk toll for pedestrians and cyclists at the Golden Gate Bridge. If enacted, the Golden Gate would become the only contiguous bridge in the nation with such a toll. There are four bridges at the borders of the United States that charge 50-cent pedestrian tolls. One links New York and Canada at Niagara Falls and the other three bridges link El Paso, Texas with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
The Golden Gate Bridge is managed by a special district created by the State Legislature through the Bridge and Highway District Act of 1923. The prohibition in AB 40 updates this law that governs the Golden Gate Highway and Transportation District, which voted last October to study, again, the imposition of a sidewalk toll. The toll was among over 40 options to eliminate a projected operating deficit. However, a 2005 analysis conducted by the District found such a toll at the state's most visited bridge would generate just $500,000 to $1.5 million annually.
Forty percent of climate changing emissions come from transportation. In 2014 Bay Area commuters lost over 45 million hours in traffic, wasting $291 million in fuel. The Golden Gate Bridge is crossed by tens of millions of people each year, with as many as 10,000 pedestrians and 6,000 cyclists crossing each day. And, 43.6% of tourists report visiting the bridge during their visit to San Francisco.
AB 40 passed the Assembly 65-13 vote and the Senate 29-11. Here's what supporters are saying about the bill. Further information is available at www.leginfo.ca.gov .