San Francisco Mayor Opposes Downtown Congestion Pricing
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Charging fees to drive in the city sends a bad message to the rest of the Bay Area that will ultimately hurt the city's economy, Mayor Gavin Newsom Wednesday.
The Board of Supervisors dropped the idea of charging to drive into the city from the Peninsula, but it is still studying how to implement congestion pricing to limit traffic in the financial district.
"It's just a terrible idea," Newsom said.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
Drivers could pay as much as $6 on weekdays for access to the city's busiest streets, a scheme Newsom said was not motivated by limiting auto traffic.
"This is no more about congestion as it is about raising money, and we should just call it a tax. It's a toll," he said.
Newsom recently sent a letter to the Association of Bay Area Governments condemning a plan he said would hurt tourism and the business community.
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