Bridge tolls

[jc2ducati]

http://goldengate.org/news/bridge/carpooltoll.php

I found the link above summarizing the board meeting.

Right now, during commute hours, any bike can freely go thru ANY toll booth lanes freely, with or without Fasttrack. After this rule:

Vehicles eligible for the carpool toll will be required to open a FasTrak account and use a transponder to pay their carpool toll.

Every bike without without fastrack will be required to stop and pay toll.

Their primary motivation (besides financial) is below. This is how it always happens. Lose one ball, the rest will tumble.

• If left unchanged at $0, the Golden Gate Bridge would be the only major toll facility in the USA that provides a 100% discount for carpools.
  

This is a bit of a shock:

432,872 or 2.3% of the total 19,066,406 total southbound crossings in FY 2009 (7/1/08-6/30/09) were carpools.

Only 2.3% carpools? That is only 2,165 carpools / day (assuming 200 working days a year).
They expect this to raise revenue $1.3M in FY10/11. The new suicide barrier is est to cost $50M.

Thus, esp. for motorcycles, the % is even less. i'll be generous and say 5% of 2.3%? 0.115% That means bikes share of $1.3M is maybe $65,000. For what? To slow down traffic further and increase our chances for an accident? Even economically, it doesn't make much sense.

Here are the future dates mentioned attached below.

DATES:

Wednesday, April 7, 2010: 4 pm to 7 pm, Informational Open House in Marin County, Embassy Suites, San Rafael.

April 22, 2010: Staff will present findings from the Open House and public feedback to-date to the Finance Committee.

Friday, May 14, 2010: Public Hearing, 9:30 am, Board Room, GGB Toll Plaza Building, SF.

May 27, 2010: Staff will analyze public comments and bring a final recommendation regarding the proposed toll rate increases to the Finance Committee for consideration.

May 28, 2010: Full Board would receive a recommendation from the Finance Committee.

It also seems to miss car license plates if you have a trunk rack with bicycle on.

[Popeye the Sailor]

This is a bit of a shock:Only 2.3% carpools? That is only 2,165 carpools / day (assuming 200 working days a year).
They expect this to raise revenue $1.3M in FY10/11. The new suicide barrier is est to cost $50M.

Maybe we should just charge the suicide jumpers? I mean-they won't be needing their money....

[desmoquattro]

Maybe we should just charge the suicide jumpers? I mean-they won't be needing their money....

I think Spidey's already picked their pockets by the time they get out on the bridge.

[Drunken Monkey]

It's too bad they rejected my idea of a loaded gun (with a chain attached so no one takes it, duh) at both sides of the bridge.

I figure the cost of ammo will only be a few bucks a year and it'll cut way down on the number of people jumping.

[MendoDave]

What about just putting the diving board out there. It would cost so much less..

But really If they charged a buck for bikes and two bucks during non commute times that would be more fair dontcha think?

[Desmostro]

It's too bad they rejected my idea of a loaded gun (with a chain attached so no one takes it, duh) at both sides of the bridge.

I figure the cost of ammo will only be a few bucks a year and it'll cut way down on the number of people jumping.
Coin operated like the telescopes. one direction aim.

Why they got to ruin the bridge with all the fences and crap?!
Why not put the fence UNDER the bridge to catch the jumpers, leaving the view unspoiled.
Jumpers hit the fence, roll down into a basket where they are trapped under the bridge. There they could dehydrate making them a lot lighter and easier to carry away than all the Search and Rescue trying to pull them out of the Bay waterlogged.

Its a win win win.

Nice View
No Search and Rescue
They still get to jump in such a nice spot with a lot of attention.

[MendoDave]

Why they got to ruin the bridge with all the fences and crap?!
Why not put the fence UNDER the bridge to catch the jumpers, leaving the view unspoiled.
Jumpers hit the fence, roll down into a basket where they are trapped under the bridge. There they could dehydrate making them a lot lighter and easier to carry away than all the Search and Rescue trying to pull them out of the Bay waterlogged.

Its a win win win.

Nice View
No Search and Rescue
They still get to jump in such a nice spot with a lot of attention.

I think you Idea has a lot of merrit. The cost should be someplace in between the gun and diving board and the full on ugly fence that also costs lots of money. The district should do some kind of two and a half million dollar, 18 month study of your drying net Idea.

The problem with the barrier, other than the cost and the ugly factor, is that once it goes up, those folks are going to be jumping in front of the train more often. When they jump off the bridge it doesn't stop traffic.