As we enter into the new year, and the ramifications of Senate Bill 595 rears its head again in the form of a 50¢ toll increase on all Bay Area bridges, we’re once again reminded of what awaits us at the beginning of 2030: $10.50 per crossing.
To put it bluntly, this is really fucking unfair; especially to people outside of the Bay Area’s urban core. Residents in Solano and Napa Counties, if they commute into San Francisco for work 5 days a week (many of them do) are looking at $420 per month in bridge tolls alone. Residents who reside on the outer edges of the East Bay like Antioch or Livermore, who drive up to 50 miles one way will also be burdened by this.
This arrangement by itself is an absolute assault on the region’s working class, but it’s made even worse by the Bay Area’s exorbitant cost of living. Our political leaders need to do more to offset the financial burden placed upon the shoulders of our most essential, yet underappreciated and severely exploited workforce.
While it is easy to appreciate how desperately the Bay Area needs funding for maintaining and expanding public transportation in the Bay Area, this bill does it at the expense of those who live on the outer edges of the region because of the fact many of them CANNOT live in the city center as a result of gentrification, which these Bay Area politicians have done little to address.
So, in the spirit of fairness, the bridge toll should be decreased or completely eliminated for residents of more far-flung Bay Area cities (or people who reside in Bay Area-adjacent areas like Sacramento, Stockton, Tracy and Modesto) that can prove that they work in San Francisco or other areas that require them to cross a Bay Area bridge.
The benefits of the bill are extremely lopsided too. Not only are working class communities going to be paying for the bulk of the bridge tolls, the benefits are primarily going to San Francisco and Silicon Valley workers. Jim Beall, who authored the bill, represents San Jose, and its interests. San Jose GREATLY benefits from the BART and Caltrain extension. As does San Francisco, which now has more ways to get Silicon Valley’s tech talent into the city and back.
Where does the East Bay (even core cities like Oakland or Berkeley) really benefit? They already have BART, and while I think adding more BART cars and AC Transit cross-bay lines is a good idea, this is clearly not who the transit bill is for. And the North Bay, like I stated earlier, is completely fucked over.
There are ways to correct this: We can eliminate one of the tolls for workers who cross two bridges: This would primarily be for people who commute from Vallejo or deeper into the North Bay like Napa or Fairfield. You can also reduce bridge toll by income for lower income residents who live further from the city or for low income communities that are nearby.
Instead of charging someone $10.50 who makes $50,000 a year in the Bay (a starvation wage by Bay Area standards) allow them to pay $5.00 and make someone making say $80-100,000 pay $7, and someone making more than $150,000 pay $10. While someone making $200k or more pays $15.
These are just a few ideas. But if you’re going to pass pro-transit legislation (which you should) don’t be an asshole. Do it equitably.
P.S. VALLEJO NEEDS A FUCKING BART STATION.
