I’m not politically active, and I rarely share my opinions in a public forum, though I vote every time. But I do find the occasional issue which rouses me. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, please join me (and many others) in opposing a pedestrian/bicyclist tax on the Golden Gate Bridge. The link is to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s advocacy page, with background, details, and steps you can take to politely share your opinions with the legislative bodies that are contemplating this short-sighted manuever. Be polite, but be firm. Vehicle tolls to cross the bridges around New York City are significantly higher than here in the Bay Area, but the Brooklyn Bridge is a recognized city treasure because of its pedestrian and bicycle access. The Golden Gate Bridge is the same, yet more so in a city which doesn’t have as much competition in the landmark department. I don’t know whether this tactic has been attempted in the past, but I do know I’d like to avoid this failure of imagination here.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Brooklyn Bridge and other NYC bridges have undergone similar threats in the past — the smell of money passing into city coffers can do strange things — but I don’t know of any current pedestrian/bicycle tolls. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I also have a long-term hope that I might one day ride my bicycle from San Francisco to Oakland. Those hopes get longer-term every time I read the paper. If we (the Bay Area, the State of California, etc.) cannot agree on how to finish a new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, how much longer will it take to get a pedestrian/bicycle lane/extension added to the western span? Maybe in my lifetime… or maybe my children’s? I won’t hold my breath, but I’ll do my small part to keep supporting those efforts, too.