The Golden Gate Bridge District is considering raising the toll on the famed span to $8 per trip. That's $40 a week, and more than $2,000 a year, if you drive it every day.
Executives have five options which could raise bridge tolls to as much as $8 within five years.
"Why do they need to raise it? They said at $6 that would be it," commute Burke Miller said.
District General Manager Denis Mulligan knew that question would be coming.
"Things cost more than they did six years ago," Mulligan said. "We spend half on tolls and transit. That takes one and a half lanes of cars off the bridge at rush hour, eases traffic every day and helps with mobility."
Or, in six words: capital reserves, Doyle Drive, transit, and infrastructure, from repainting towers to fixing access to the ferry boats. Parking at Larkspur Landing is an issue, too.
When the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, a toll ticket cost 50 cents. Adjusted for inflation, that's $8 today, one of the toll amounts they're considering.
The next step is presenting the options to the district board on Friday and then a series of public hearings.
"Why not raise it to 50 bucks? Nobody will go over the bridge and we won't have a deficit," Mill Valley resident Eric Schou said.
