BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 40
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Date of Hearing: April 6, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 40
(Ting) - As Introduced December 1, 2014
SUBJECT: Golden Gate Bridge: sidewalk fees
SUMMARY: Prohibits the imposition of any tolls or access fees
for pedestrians and bicyclists on the Golden Gate Bridge
sidewalks.
EXISTING LAW: Establishes the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and
Transportation District (GGBHTD), which, among other functions
and duties, owns and operates the Golden Gate Bridge.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: When the Golden Gate Bridge first opened in 1937,
pedestrians had to pay 5 cents to cross. The sidewalk toll
eventually rose to 10 cents before it was abolished in 1970.
Pedestrians and bicyclists have been able to cross the bridge
for free ever since. GGBHTD, the owner and operator of the
bridge, has explored reinstating a toll for use of the sidewalks
several times since then but has never elected to impose the
toll. GGBHTD is currently facing an operating deficit of $32.9
million over the next five years as well as $209 million in
unfunded capital needs and recently adopted a 45-point plan
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aimed at keeping the district solvent. One point in the plan is
to evaluate sidewalk access fees.
In addition to the Golden Gate, there are seven other toll
bridges in California - the Antioch Bridge, the Benicia/Martinez
Bridge, the Carquinez Bridge, the Dumbarton Bridge, the
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge, and the San Mateo Hayward Bridge - all of which are
owned by the state. Only four of these bridges - the Antioch,
the Benicia-Martinez, the Carquinez, and the Dumbarton - allow
bicycles and pedestrians to cross. The new eastern span of the
Bay Bridge includes a bicycle and pedestrian path that will
eventually extend from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island but will
not extend across the entire bridge to San Francisco. There is
currently no toll for bicyclists or pedestrians on any of the
state-owned toll bridges.
AB 40 would prohibit GGBHTD from imposing a toll for pedestrians
or bicyclists to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. According to the
author, the bill would promote non-vehicular forms of
transportation across the bridge that improve air quality,
combat climate change and encourage physical activity. The
author also argues that maintaining free access to the Golden
Gate Bridge's sidewalks is critical to preserving overall access
to the extensive network of parks, paths, and trails that
connect the North Bay to the South Bay, of which the bridge is a
part.
Writing in support, the California Bicycle Coalition argues that
"More bicycling solves so many problems in California that
government agencies, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway
and Transportation District, should welcome and encourage
bicycling. The idea that 'everyone should pay their fair share'
is a noble one but to use that argument to justify charging
people when they walk or bicycle reflects a naïve and erroneous
understanding of how we pay for the benefits and impacts of our
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transportation system."
Writing in opposition, GGBHTD argues that "the fact that the
proposed legislation applies only to the District is problematic
from a policy perspective. If the Legislature believes that
there should be a prohibition on charging bicycles and
pedestrians for access to bridge sidewalks, then the Legislature
should apply this restriction universally." The district will
remove its opposition if the bill is amended to apply to all
toll bridges rather than just to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Committee Concerns: This bill focuses on the one toll bridge in
California that is not owned by the state. It is not clear why
one local government entity should be prohibited from charging
bridge tolls for pedestrians and bicyclists while leaving open
the option for such a charge on state-owned toll bridges. If
free bridge access for those walking and using bicycles is good
policy on the Golden Gate Bridge as a means of promoting these
modes of transportation and their many benefits, surely it is
good policy on all toll bridges.
Proposed Amendment: Apply the prohibition on bicyclist and
pedestrian fees to all toll bridges in California that allow
bicycle and pedestrian access.
Prior Legislation: AB 748 (Wolk) of 2005, would have
prohibited, through 2009, the imposition of a toll for
pedestrians or bicycles on any bridge or highway facility under
the jurisdiction of GGBHTD or Caltrans on which the travel of
pedestrians and bicycles is otherwise authorized. AB 748 was
vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
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Support
California Bicycle Coalition
California Travel Association
Save our Recreation
Walk San Francisco
Opposition
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District (unless
amended)
Analysis Prepared by:Anya Lawler / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
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