Driving in San Francisco can be non-optimal. All those trains and bicycles and pesky pedestrians, shining with non-gasoline-powered virtue, make it rough. Parking is a pain. You will get stuck on one-way streets forever and ever and suddenly find yourself on a bridge or a highway. You will cuss. You will get parking tickets. And you will take an hour to cross town and then be unable to park and be left with the realization that you should have taken the train or shelled out 10 bucks for a taxi.

Add to all that the added costs of a new peak-hour toll that the city is considering. In November 2008, the Chronicle ran an article about a study released by the transportation authority's board of supervisors, in which they are investigating the use of a $3 cordon toll. Anyone entering the city through the Bay or Golden Gate bridges or through 280 or 101 above 18th Street would have to pay, as well as anyone driving through the greater SoMa area (east of Divisadero, north of 18th) during commute hours. A similar toll is used in London and Stockholm, but has not yet been used in other parts of the United States. According to the article, the cities that currently charge a cordon toll have experienced a decrease in traffic and air pollution, and a fiscal increase of "tens of millions" every year — no currency was given, but that's a lot of money regardless. Drivers can rest easy for now, because a formal recommendation won't be made to the mayor's staff until February.

But if you're still a fool for your car, here are some handy driving tips!

Handy Driving Tips

 

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