Bridge District Invites Public Comments on Golden Gate Bridge Five-Year Toll Program Proposal

Media Contact:
Priya Clemens
Public Affairs Director
c: 415-317-2222 (text is best)
pclemens@goldengate.org

January 15, 2019

Golden Gate Bridge District Invites Public to Comment on Five-Year Toll Program

Beginning in late January 2019, the Golden Gate Bridge District invites members of the public to provide input on possible Golden Gate Bridge toll increases over the next five years at a series of in-person and digital open houses.

Members of the public are invited to provide comment on five toll options at open houses in Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties, as well as online. Detailed information on the toll options and open houses is provided below and is available online: https://www.goldengate.org/board/2018/agendas/documents/2018-1220-FinanceComm-No6-DiscussionTollOptions.pdf.

The public outreach plan for a proposed toll increase was approved at the December Board of Directors meeting and is part of the District's regular five-year financial planning process. The new proposal follows the conclusion of the previous five-year toll program in July 2018.

The District is seeking input on which of the five options the Board should consider for adoption in Spring of 2019. Any adopted toll increase would go into effect on July 1, 2019.

"We look forward to hearing the public's input on the options presented in our five-year toll proposal at our open houses," said Denis Mulligan, District General Manager. "We take public comment very seriously and welcome the upcoming discussion about how to keep providing excellent service to our customers, whether you drive across the Bridge or ride our buses and ferries."

The District projected it would need to raise $75 million over the next five years to match the rising cost of goods and services. That assumes the District maintain current operations and levels of service across the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Transit, and Golden Gate Ferry. The toll increase options presented in the proposal would raise between $75 and $100 million dollars over the next five years.

Any revenue raised beyond the $75 million needed to fund the District's operations would be used to improve transit service, especially on popular routes such as the Larkspur to San Francisco ferry service. For example, the District is looking to purchase a new ferry vessel and expand the number of daily ferry trips to meet the growing demand for the service.

In 2018, Golden Gate buses and ferries removed 20% of weekday commute traffic between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. from the Bridge, easing congestion for people driving from the North Bay into San Francisco.

The District welcomes all members of the public to attend and comment on the proposed toll increases at the following open houses:

Marin County
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
5:00 p.m. to7:00 p.m.
Whistlestop
930 Tamalpais Avenue
San Rafael, CA

Sonoma County
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Petaluma Arts Center
230 Lakeville Street
Petaluma, CA

City and County of San Francisco
Thursday, February 7, 2019
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Fort Mason Center
Landmark Building C
Room 205

Facebook Live Event
Saturday, February 9, 2019
11:00 a.m.
Find us @GoldenGateBridge

A public hearing will also be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. in the San Rafael City Council Chambers (1400 Fifth Ave., San Rafael, CA). Comments may be submitted in-person at the open houses and the public hearing, by email to tolls@goldengate.org, or in writing to (no later than 8:00 p.m. on February 27, 2019):

Amorette Ko-Wong, Secretary of the District
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
P.O. Box 9000, Presidio Station
San Francisco, CA 94129-0601

Proposed Five-Year Toll Rate Options