San Francisco Urban Partnership Agreement

Congestion Pricing

The City of San Francisco has agreed to toll all traffic entering into it from the north. The Urban Partnership Agreement allows the city to choose between two options to accomplish this. The first option is to toll all traffic entering from Doyle Drive, a congested four-lane, curvy, undivided roadway and the only northern access route for motorists attempting to enter the city. The second option is for the city to introduce a variable toll on the Golden Gate Bridge (which is already tolled), where all Doyle Drive traffic enters or exits the city. (Fully two-thirds of southbound Doyle Drive traffic is heading into the city.) At this time, the city has chosen to pursue the second option, but has not precluded also tolling Doyle Drive. Toll rates on the Golden Gate will be set to avoid the occurrence of congestion on Doyle Drive, and thus to keep travel on Doyle Drive free flowing (although some traffic may enter Doyle Drive within San Francisco after the Golden Gate toll plaza).

By implementing congestion tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge, and possibly also Doyle Drive, the City of San Francisco would be pricing all traffic entering into it from the north for the express purpose of reducing congestion. If the city does not also toll Doyle Drive then it will need to find other revenue sources to pay for the much needed and expensive reconstruction of Doyle Drive. If, on the other hand, the city does elect to also toll Doyle Drive, the Department would fund the needed tolling infrastructure, including high-speed cameras and a single gantry just south of the bridge toll plaza. Vehicle detection on Doyle Drive would be accomplished through either FasTrak transponders or Automatic Number Plate Recognition (camera and optical character recognition technology). Toll rates on Doyle Drive would vary to achieve a reduction of peak period traffic of between 10 and 12 percent. The level of and schedule for the congestion toll surcharge on the Golden Gate Bridge is still being decided upon.

Parking Pricing

San Francisco will also be implementing a comprehensive smart parking system, including variable pricing and guidance, focused both in 13 city-controlled garages and on on-street parking. Drivers entering the city through Doyle Drive, along with other drivers in the city, will be required to pay for parking, with prices set such that demand will not exceed capacity.

Payment methods in the garages will include FasTrak transponders and TransLink smart card. On-street parking pricing will be implemented using multiple space meters, but with sensors at individual spaces. Payment options will include smart card, credit card, and pay-by-cell-phone. On street parking pricing will be implemented in three downtown corridors and in the core Civic Center area.

The importance of on-street parking pricing should not be underestimated. One 1997 San Francisco study that showed an average search time for on-street parking of 6.5 minutes, delaying all traffic. By pricing both on- and off-street parking at a level that ensures a few open spaces, the incentive for motorists to cruise for free or under-priced parking, and the related delay that this brings to all traffic including to buses, would be eliminated.

Other Supporting Urban Partnership Elements

The Department will be funding several intelligent transportation systems projects in the agreement. San Francisco will be delivering an arterial traffic management system that will implement transit signal priority at 500 key intersections leading to and throughout downtown San Francisco. To accomplish this, fiber optic cables, traffic signal controller upgrades, global positioning system activated transit signal priority, variable message signs, and software upgrades will all be deployed.

The Urban Partnership Agreement also call for integrated mobility payment accounts and the related development of a processing center and other "back office" infrastructure to support tolling operations and to integrate FasTrak and TransLink accounts. The regional 511 information system will be upgraded to provide real-time pricing, parking, and transit information.

A number of ferry service improvements will also be carried out. San Francisco's telecommuting and alternate commute programs will also be bolstered as part of this overall effort.