Californians could be in for a storm before the calm

Politicians are often criticized for promoting short-term solutions and forgetting about long-term gains. Today we read in Inside Bay Area about a California Assemblyman, Joe Nation, who is calling for a 25-cent tax increase on each gallon of gasoline to snap people into considering alternatives to driving. Nation is not alone in considering dramatic tactics to reduce the number of cars on the California roads. The Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission will increase wait times at cash-only toll booths to encourage people to buy one of those automatic passes, a change that will eventually speed up wait times at toll booths. Some politicians in San Francisco are looking into charging drivers who want to drive in downtown San Francisco a fee similar to London's $15-a-day charge. However these proposals fare over the next few months, it is good to see officials unafraid of thinking outside the smog.
[Source: Inside Bay Area via Hybrid Cars]