The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) issued the following announcement outlining current plans for its congestion pricing study. It appears that a recommendation will not be presented to the Transportation Authority Board before spring 2022 at the earliest. The Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association will continue to monitor and report out on developments.
Downtown Congestion Pricing Study Summer Update
This spring and summer, our team has been analyzing public feedback and conducting technical analysis as we continue to develop policy proposals for a downtown congestion pricing recommendation for San Francisco. Visit our website to view the latest policy proposals. Â In light of the changing and fluid conditions surrounding traffic conditions and transit use, the Transportation Authority is extending the timeline of the Downtown Congestion Pricing Study to next year. What this means for the study process:
Community Outreach
This extension will have implications for our upcoming outreach round. This summer, we held co-creation workshops with eight community-based organizations. We are currently wrapping up a few remaining workshops as part of this in-depth outreach. We had also planned a broader public outreach campaign as part of this outreach round. Public outreach remains a critical element of the study and will resume when the agency has a more reliable understanding of traffic patterns, transit use, office occupancy, and the trajectory of the cityâs overall economic rebound. The timeline to resume outreach activities is to be determined, but is expected to resume in 2022.
Technical Work
Recently staff shared revised program/policy design options and will continue technical work on zone boundaries, evaluation of smaller boundary options, fee levels, discounts and exemptions as well as estimation and use of net revenues, as we observe travel patterns through fall and winter 2021-2022.
Study Recommendation
In light of extending the study timeline, congestion pricing policy recommendations will not be presented to the Transportation Authority Board by the end of 2021 as originally anticipated. Instead, the policy recommendations will be completed following the resumption of outreach activities at a future date.If the Board directs us to move forward, it would take at least five years to start a congestion pricing program. During this time, we would need to get state authorization and further develop the details of how the system would work, which would involve more analysis and community engagement. We look forward to continuing to work with you to shape this study.
Rachel Hiatt
Asst. Deputy Director, Planning
San Francisco County Transportation Authority