Drivers on "FasTrak" to empty pockets
Drivers who make use of the carpool lanes on the Bay Bridge are now charged a toll fee of $2.50 and have been since the first of July. That’s the bad news. The good news? Well, there doesn’t seem to be much good news about this.
By Gayle YglesiasThe Guardsman
Drivers who make use of the carpool lanes on the Bay Bridge are now charged a toll fee of $2.50 and have been since the first of July.That’s the bad news. The good news? Well, there doesn’t seem to be much good news about this.The carpool lane has been free for commuters since its inception. Commuters are furious because they now have to pay a fee for something that was once free. John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission said, in the San Francisco Chronicle, that the purpose of the $2.50 toll was, “not to discourage ride-sharing, but to spread out the cost among all drivers.”In addition to the fee hike, the only way to pass through the carpool lane and receive a discount is with a FasTrak toll tag. Since the increase, 30 percent fewer drivers are using those carpool lanes. Traffic data released by he MTC showed 12,000 fewer carpoolers from July 12 to July 23, compared with the same dates in 2009. Although It seems fairly early to assume this trend will continue, the numbers don’t lie: 12,000 fewer carpoolers proves people are avoiding the new toll. In another chronicle article, Will Kane reported that the Bay Bridge also saw approximately 6,200 fewer drivers on average pass through the toll plaza each day, compared to 2009. In the same article, Steve Heminger, executive director of the MTC said, “I think what you are seeing here is that we are having our cake and eating it too. We’re raising revenue and seeing decreased congestion.” The MTC is being greedy by implementing higher toll fees. Carpoolers and commuters have no voice in this matter yet they are the ones being affected by this.On the Bay Bridge, the tolls for autos are $6 during weekday commute hours (5 - 10 a.m. and 3 - 7 p.m.) and $4 during off-peak hours. On weekends, the toll is $5. This is what the MTC calls “congestion pricing.”Some drivers have even resorted to pulling to the side of the road with their emergency lights flashing until the off-peak toll price comes into effect - anything to save a few bucks I suppose. This is not the most efficient way of avoiding a more expensive toll. In fact, it’s illegal to pull over to the side of the freeway in a non-emergency situation. The MTC, along with the California Highway Patrol, needs to deal with this behavior by issuing citations before the popularity of these illegitimate rest-areas grows out of control. “I commute from the East Bay to San Francisco almost every day with my dad,” said a CCSF student, who requested to be kept anonymous. “It’s bad enough that the budget cuts are affecting me, but now even my commute in the carpool lane is digging into my wallet.” Placing these tolls on drivers is unfair. Carpool lanes were supposed to be an efficient way for commuters to save time and money. Now they are a frustrating reminder of local governments’ total lack of imagination, a mental bankruptcy to match their empty pockets. Ridership statistics of both the newly remodeled carpool lanes and public transportation, like BART, need to be monitored closely to insure the lanes’ effectiveness. If the numbers come back and show a decrease in revenue, it proves the fee should never have been applied.The Bay Area Toll Authority is taking a gamble with this toll hike. The money they are making along with the decreased amount of commuters raises the question: Is there any profit? Oh, and by the way, they should charge us for breathing air while they’re at it. You know, because it makes sense. Nothing in this world is free, right? The suburban middle-class was badly wounded when the housing bubble collapsed and now they are bleeding out. Smelling the blood in the water, the piranhas at MTC—who have already acquired a taste for human flesh—have condemned commuters to the death of a thousand cuts.
