Urban Congestion Pricing Might Finally Come to California

While not exactly 'Manhattan-style congestion pricing,' where drivers headed south of 60th Street will be subject to a hefty toll come January 2021, the Lombard Street 'reservation fee' had to clear the same legislative hurdle, as the state Assembly press release (source article) indicates.

The bill by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) is necessary because existing law prohibits a local agency from imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the use of its streets or highways.

The bill, "AB 1605: City and County of San Francisco: Crooked Street Reservation and Pricing Program," passed the Assembly on a 54-23-2 vote on Thursday. Gov. Newsom (D), the city's mayor from 2004 to 2011, has until Oct. 13 to sign or veto it. If he signs, the next step would be in the hands of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, according to the bill's text:

Unlike the Manhattan plan and all other cordon pricing schemes being considered by large cities in the U.S., including San Francisco, AB 1605 encountered no formal opposition. Yet pricing streets, even more so than parking, is inherently controversial, explaining why 28 percent of legislators in both chambers opposed the bill.

Other alternatives considered

The seven-year pilot program fits the description of road pricing, a type of tolling, which was one of several considerations to deal with the street congestion, as noted in a September 2016 post on a study conducted by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority:

After a year researching how other tourist destinations handle similar problems, the study is now exploring solutions—including barring cars and turning the area into a pedestrian-only plaza...Other proposals include hiring a mass of parking and safety officers, requiring reservations, and charging a toll. 

The fact that a car ban was not selected, yet was considered, is noteworthy. In essence, the authority chose a market-based measure to manage demand over the simpler, but arguably more extreme, ban, which presumably would not have required state legislation.