A state lawmaker who introduced a bill that would allow San Francisco to impose a toll on the famously crooked section of Lombard Street has said the “city is running out of options” after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the legislation over the weekend.
Newsom said he was concerned AB 1605 would create âsocial equity issues.â
The bill by San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Ting would have implemented a toll and reservation system for sightseers to drive down the popular tourist attraction.
Ting said Sunday on Twitter that he was disappointed by Newsom’s veto — noting the “city is running out of options” — but he would work with the governor and local residents and officials to “resolve this public safety and quality of life issue.”
Phil Ting on Twitter I’m disappointed that the Governor vetoed AB 1605. Lombard Street draws up to 17,000 visitors per day on busy weekends and neither the presence of parking enforcement officers, nor the closure of the crooked segment has helped to alleviate congestion. https://t.co/vkoKDXT4Jk
Tourism officials estimate that 6,000 people a day visit the 600-foot-long section of the street in the summer, creating lines of cars stretching for blocks. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) had recommended a $5 per car charge on weekdays and $10 on weekends and holidays.
Andrew Heidel, a SFCTA senior transportation planner, told a state Senate committee earlier this year that Lombard Street attracts over 2 million visitors a year, but thereâs no way to manage them.
While Newsom sympathized with these concerns, he said the toll and reservation system wasn’t the answer in his veto message on Saturday.
âAs the former county supervisor representing this neighborhood, I am acutely aware of the need to address congestion and safety around Lombard Street. However, the pricing program proposed in this bill creates social equity issues,â Newsom said.
âAccess to this iconic attraction should be available to all, regardless of their ability to pay,â he added.
Newsom said he would work with local officials and the state Legislature on other solutions. A call placed to Tingâs office on Monday seeking comment wasnât immediately returned.
A 2017 study by the SFCTA said managing access to Lombard Street is needed as crowd control issues for the attraction have become more challenging.
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