San Francisco could soon be first US city with a congestion charge

The city by the bay could soon be the first American city to get a congestion charge, and if current plans go forward it will be complex. San Francisco is currently debating a plan that would charge motorists not only for entering the congestion zone, but also for leaving it. The charges would also only happen at certain times of day, currently set for 6-9 am and 3-6 pm. The problem is that whenever you do something like this the boundaries are arbitrary. There are bound to be people caught out on the wrong side of the line. One example is engineer David Milner who lives in the city but works in Mountain View south of the city. His home is just outside of the proposed zone, but he would have to pass through it to get to the freeway to get to work.

While the principle behind congestion charging is a good one, the plan being proposed in San Francisco seems overly convoluted and unfair. At this point it's not known if the plan will go ahead as proposed, be modified or killed outright.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]