BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
The Bay Area Toll Authority, a board which includes several local elected officials, has voted to raise bridge tolls by 50 cents a year until they reach $10.50 for cars in 2030, or $11.50 for drivers who aren’t signed up for FasTrak.
Local representatives are Santa Clara County Supervisor-elect Maragaret Abe-Koga, Millbrae Vice Mayor Gina Papan and San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa. They all voted “yes” on the toll increase on Wednesday (Dec. 18).
For a commuter who crosses the bridge every weekday, the toll will cost $2,990 a year when it is fully-implemented if they don’t have a FasTrak responder, $2,730 with a FasTrak.
The Bay Area Toll Authority received 197 comments about the toll increase, and 173 comments were opposed. Their most common theme was about the financial strain on working-class families, Fremier said.
The next increase takes effect on Jan. 1 to bring tolls to $8 on seven bridges, including the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and Dumbarton Bridge.
The money will be used to fight steel corrosion on the bridge and other maintenance and rehabilitation, Executive Director Andrew Fremier said in a report for the Bay Area Toll Authority. Painting alone is budgeted for $45 million this fiscal year.
Starting in 2027, the bridges will have a new fee for drivers without FasTrak tags — 25 cents if the license plate is registered with FasTrak, or $1 if FasTrak sends an invoice, Fremier said.
The Bay Area Toll Authority is run by elected officials from around the region who are appointed to the board.
It’s the same board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority and the Association of Bay Area Governments — but they switch names when they’re discussing or voting on different projects.
The elected officials who voted for this are out of touch with regular people. Regular people don’t want higher taxes or tolls when we’re having a hard enough time putting food on the table and gas in our cars. When Abe-Koga, Gina Papan and David Canepa run again, this vote needs to be front and center in the campaign. Their opponents need to be asking, “Why were you trying to nickel and dime your constituents with these higher tolls?” If the bridges need repairs, then tax Google, Apple, Meta, Salesforce and the other big companies who avoid the taxes the rest of us are forced to pay.
This has hit a nerve,sum people are under the impression we voted on this.I hope there is a revolt on this.We pay a huge gas tax for fixing roads an bridges ,an federal tax’s for roads.They cut an got rid of the toll takers ,there hourly wages,pensions ,an medical where did all these savings go?
Trying to keep the hands of politicians off of other people’s money is like trying to keep addicts away from drugs.
If this encourages more people that take the Dumbarton Express, we’ll have fewer vehicles clogging up our streets. Thanks Bay Area Toll Authority!
When has that ever happened in the past? The percentage of Bay Area residents who carpool has been steadily decreasing over the past 40 years … from a high at one point of 14% to now 8% (according to the most pro-carpool agencies, the MTC). Higher and higher tolls haven’t stopped the slide. (and public transit such as Caltrain is below 4%)
I’ve added the names of Maragaret Abe-Koga, Gina Papan and David Canepa to my list of politicians I’ll never vote for.
If you rip me off, I’ll never vote for you!
So many of those that work on the Peninsula can’t afford to live here. That includes First Responders, teachers, healthcare workers, service workers. For such a “progressive” area, this is a REALLY regressive tax, as it hits those who already can’t afford this place…
These are the same folks who pursued Regional Measure 4, which was supposed to be on the ballot this past November. It would have been a $48.3 Billion tax increase for all 9 Bay Area counties. The polling was close and there was an organized campaign to oppose this outrageous tax so they decided to pull it. They are working on another big bond in 2026. The idea that the agency who is responsible for our failed surface transportation should expand their scope and get into the housing business is absurd.
Of course, our elected leaders all supported the housing tax.
Did I read that right? They got 197 comments and 173 were against. Put another way, 88% of those who knew about this were against it. Is this board tone deaf?