It's official: Golden Gate Bridge toll to rise $1
By PAIL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
source
Published: Friday, July 11, 2008 at 10:49 a.m.
SAN FRANCISCO — With no debate, Golden Gate Bridge directors on Friday approved a $1 toll hike, effective Sept. 1.
The 11-0 vote, with eight directors absent, came after months of discussion of using a toll hike to cut into operating deficits in the bridge district’s bus and ferry system.
Tolls will increase to $6 for cash and $5 for FasTrak users. Tolls for the disabled will double to $3.
The action was such a foregone conclusion that there was no public opposition at the meeting. Two of Sonoma County’s representatives on the board, county supervisor Mike Kerns and Sonoma City Council member Joanne Sanders, voted in favor of the toll increase. A third director, Maureen Middlebrook of Santa Rosa, was absent.
“This really just to pay our bills ... to make us whole and not dip into our reserves continually,” said Dietrich Stroeh, a director from Marin County.
The district now turns its attention to crafting a more controversial toll hike — a so called congestion toll that would raise tolls during peak commute hours. The intent is to alter travel patterns and also meet federal requirements for transportation grants.
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