Drivers could pay by the mile to use Bay Area freeways under transit idea
Bay Area transportation officials could turn freeways into tollways
Bay Area transportation officials want to hear from the public about ways to fix congested freeways. One of the options they're considering: Turning those freeways into tollways, and charging drivers by the mile. Allie Rasmus reports
OAKLAND, Calif. - Bay Area transportation officials want to hear from the public about ways to fix congested freeways.
One of the options they're considering is to turn freeways into tollways. Drivers would be charged based on how many miles they travel on these expressways.
Commuters are used to paying tolls to cross Bay Area bridges. They also pay to use the carpool lanes in some areas. But what about paying a toll for every mile you drive on the Bay Area's busiest freeways?
On Tuesday night at 6 p.m., the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is inviting the public to a webinar on the future of Bay Area freeways and transportation planning.
In an initial meeting, MTC representative Alex Eisenhart explained that the Bay Area needs to plan for the decades ahead, through the year 2050.
They want that plan to include things like better public transit and rail service, express bus lanes and networks, safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians and discouraging more driving on already crowded freeways - by charging a toll per mile.
The group says the Bay Area also needs to add more housing.