Additional disincentives for driving (i.e., congestion pricing and new parking fees) are on the mayor's agenda in San Francisco.
"Car-free Market Street was the first step, but traffic in downtown San Francisco is often still a nightmare at rush hour," writes Madeline Wells.
Mayor Breed is arguing for congestion pricing as an additional measure to reduce automobile trips around the city. Mayor Breed called for congestion pricing in a letter to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors.
According to Wells, Mayor Breed is specifically calling for tolls on busy roads at peak times as well as charges for street parking on Sundays and evenings. Mayor Breed targeted SoMa (South of Market) and Downtown for the reforms.
"Already, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority is considering charging a fee to drive in these areas during rush hour, with an expectation to release proposals on the topic early next year. However, the introduction of these measures would require San Francisco to pass legislation that allows the city to charge fees for the use of public roads," according to Wells.
Rachel Swan originally reported the news about Mayor Breed's advocacy for congestion pricing in a paywalled article for the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco is already among the nationwide leaders in wielding planning tools to reverse the dominance of automobiles in urban areas. New York City blocked car traffic on 14th Street in Manhattan, like San Francisco did on Market Street, and is moving forward with a congestion pricing scheme with support from the city and the state.
FULL STORY: London Breed presses for Sunday and evening parking meters, congestion pricing
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.