Introducing a "congestion fee" for downtown drivers may seem like a solution to San Francisco’s #traffic challenge, however it has several shortcomings and would certainly have a negative impact on downtown businesses.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority has been thinking about implementing a pricing program that would charge drivers extra for entering highly trafficked areas of Downtown during peak times. High traffic during morning and evening rush hours has been causing delays for years, adding up to unreliable arrival times and significant risk of injury for people travelling by bike, scooter, or on foot.
The congestion pricing plan would involve charging a fee for drivers entering the congestion zone during rush hour. Pay-per-ride operators such as Uber would have to pay a separate fee for each ride that originated in the high-traffic area. People with low incomes would qualify for an exempt status or a 50% reduction in the fee to make the process more equitable.
The concern regarding this plan is that it might end up causing more harm than good. It would actively harm residents who have to commute to the city for work. Where else can they go to seek employment? And is it reasonable to make them pay a fee for the privilege of working and supporting our economy? That makes about as much sense as forcing them to pay their employers.
San Francisco businesses would also be affected adversely by the introduction of a #congestionfee. In the words of Linda Mjellem, who served on the transportation authority business advisory panel: "what we gain in congestion fees, we will lose in sales tax revenues." It would cause businesses to relocate to other places that do not have similar fees. Shoppers will no longer have a place in our city where they can shop conveniently and transport their goods with ease. Right now, people have the convenience of visiting downtown shops without being charged a fee.
Lowering traffic to the city might sound good in theory, but this also means lowering the number of paying customers. When there aren't enough customers to buy a company's products and services, there is very little incentive for them to stay in place. Small businesses in particular would be placed in a tough monetary position. They would be forced to pay the fee every time they transport goods into the city, which means less profit for their business ventures. What's to stop them from relocating to suburb centers to ensure that they maintain their profits?
This would lead to a reduction in city revenues. Businesses would see a rise in the cost of deliveries, especially those that make several deliveries a day, and that cost would be passed on to their consumers in the form of higher prices. This would make people even less likely to find a good reason to shop in the city, since things would be more expensive downtown.
San Francisco should not charge a “congestion fee." Social and economic consequences should be taken into account and served with proper mitigation measures.
