Eight Reasons to Oppose a Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll

1. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll Could Cost More Than It's Worth: The Bridge District has ruled out using turnstiles to collect this fare, which means they'll have to hire people to do it. Not only will this create substantial delays in accessing the bridge, it will create unknown additional costs for toll collection staff, human-scale tollbooths, administration, implementation, enforcement and auditing. Cyclist and pedestrians will be discouraged from using the bridge by this toll, which will decrease toll revenues. The Bridge District estimates that the toll can pay for 2% of their budget deficient but it's unclear whether they've taken these costs into account.
2. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll Could Hinder Emergency Access to and From the Bridge: Collecting tolls would require physical limits on access to and from the bridge. In the event of an emergency evacuation, additional injuries and even deaths are likely if free escape routes from the bridge are not maintained. In addition, this would impede access by maintenance vehicles, patrol scooters and emergency vehicles and increase emergency response times.
3. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll is Environmentally Unsound: As a transit provider it is intrinsic to the Bridge District's mission to promote alternative means of transportation. These alternatives - bus, ferry, walking, bicycling - reduce consumption of resources and benefit the environment. Charging a toll would discourage these earth-friendly forms of transportation, resulting in more traffic congestion on the bridge and increased air and water pollution.
4. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll is an Economic Injustice: Increases in transit fares have already had a negative impact on financially challenged transit dependant populations and the new toll would discourage cycling among disadvantaged people who don't drive.
5. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll is Unfair and Inequitable: Imposing this toll unfairly burdens bicyclists and pedestrians with an inequitable portion of the costs of bridge maintenance and operation. For example, a $1 bike/ped toll compared to the proposed $6 automobile toll implies that the average car causes only 6 times the wear and tear on the Bridge compared to the average walker or cyclist. Given the huge disparity in weight and space occupied by cars versus pedestrians and bicycles, the impact of each automobile is surely greater.
6. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll is a Setback to the Regional Bicycle Movement: The idea that a bicycle and pedestrian toll is a "fair and equitable" means of revenue collection presumes a level playing field for transportation modes across the Bay Area. In fact, bicycle advocates are constantly struggling for access equal to other modes such as the private automobile. Currently the Golden Gate Bridge is one of only a few regional bridges which allow bicyclists, despite the desperate need for more regional bridge connections.
7. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll Will be a National Public Relations Disaster for the Bay Area: The idea of a new bicycle and pedestrian toll is already drawing negative national attention to our area. If a toll of this type is proposed and implemented, it will be the first of it's kind in North America. Charging a toll to visit this historic landmark will discourage tourism, which in turn will negatively affect the San Francisco hotel and hospitality industry. Visitors from across the globe could be discouraged from traveling to the Bay Area due to the negative image such a toll conveys.
8. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Toll Attracts Sensational Media and Distracts from the Real Issues: Currently, substantial media attention is being paid to the discussion of a possible bicycle and pedestrian toll. The Bridge District needs to stop focusing on a concept that is not cost-effective, and that generates negative publicity for the Bay Area. MCBC encourages the District to focus directly on concepts that fairly and equitably require users who most impact the bridge and our environment to pay for those impacts. In this way, media attention can be redirected toward the Bridge District's promotion of healthy and environmentally sound transportation options.