Taxpayers stuck with bridge bills

Taxpayers in Metro Vancouver, including Langley and Ridge Meadows, are expected to be on the hook for another $33 million in costs for the Golden Ears Bridge this year, because fewer drivers than expected are using the region's first tolled crossing.

Revenues from tolls are projected to be about $37.9 million this year, substantially more than the $30 million collected in 2010. However, TransLink's payments to the bridge builder and operator increase to $71 million in 2011, from $52 million in 2010, and will rise again in 2012.

That adds up to a cumulative shortfall, since 2009, of $63.8 million for a bridge that was to pay for itself in 30 years.

TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie concedes the projected traffic on the Golden Ears Bridge has levelled off, partly because drivers are seeking "free alternatives" such as the Port Mann Bridge, even though they have to go out of their way to access it.

Ridership estimates going back to 2004 projected daily use of the bridge would be 29,400 vehicles in its first year.

However, in the first year they barely reached that level, then stalled.

Traffic volumes increased to between 28,000 and 29,000 per month by the fall of 2010, Hardie said.

"And then it seemed to plateau," he said.

Hardie said TransLink plans to launch a marketing campaign to get more people using the Golden Ears Bridge. Once the Port Mann is tolled, he said, people will probably realize the Golden Ears crossing is more efficient and convenient.

He wouldn't say what the marketing plan would entail, but TransLink said last year it was looking at options such as lowering tolls during certain times of the day to get more non-commuters - such as truckers and service providers - using the crossing.

"What we want to do is ensure the bridge is fulfilling its function in the transportation system," Hardie said, adding "We knew our contribution [to the Golden Ears Bridge] would be front-end loaded and we would be subsidizing while the toll revenue caught up."

TransLink's contract with the builder and operator runs over 30 years, Hardie said. The builder took on the almost $1 billion cost of building the six-lane bridge, which TransLink is to slowly pay back over three decades. Tolls mean much of that cost will not fall on taxpayers, even if the usage estimates miss their mark somewhat, Hardie said.

"There was no provincial or federal money in the bridge," Hardie said.

TransLink documents say the main monthly payment to Golden Crossing will increase from $3 million to $4 million in July 2011. The transportation authority is also on the hook for $166 million - up to $14 million a year - in direct financing costs for property acquisition, toll equipment, project development, and third-party commitments.

The Port Mann Bridge, which is being built by the provincial government to connect with its Gateway Project, will accommodate rapid bus service, expanded cycling and pedestrian lanes, and a possible light rail line. The tolls, to be in place for 40 years, will rise with inflation but will be capped at 2.5 per cent annually.

Meanwhile, TransLink is still searching for buyers for its two Albion ferries, which were shut down when the Golden Ears Bridge opened in the summer of 2009.

- Kelly Sinoski is a reporter with the Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.langleyadvance.com/business/Taxpayers+stuck+with+bridge+bills/4307918/story.html#ixzz1ER6G6b9l

Bay Area Bridge Toll FAQ's

1. Who is responsible for the Bay Area’s eight toll bridges?
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is responsible for the day-to-day operations, maintenance and toll collection on the seven state-owned bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area: the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Mateo-Hayward and San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridges. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, serving as the Bay Area Toll Authority, administers the tolls collected on the seven state-owned bridges to fund bridge projects and transportation activities on and around the bridges.

The Golden Gate Bridge is owned, operated and maintained by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, an independent public agency. For more information, go to www.goldengatebridge.org.

2. What is Caltrans?
Caltrans is the state agency responsible for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the California state highway system. In addition to the day-to-day operations of the state-owned toll bridges, Caltrans also is responsible for oversight of the rehabilitation and construction of the bridges. For more information, go to www.dot.ca.gov.

To contact Caltrans in the Bay Area, call the Caltrans public information office at 510-286-4444 or go to www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/information.htm.

3. What is the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA)?
The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) was created by the California Legislature in 1997 to administer the base $1 toll on the Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges and oversee the RM 1 program. On Jan. 1, 1998, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) began operations as BATA. In August 2005, the California Legislature expanded BATA’s responsibilities to include administration of all toll revenue and joint oversight of the toll bridge construction program. To contact BATA, call MTC’s public information office at 510-817-5757 or e-mail info@mtc.ca.gov.

4. What is the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)?
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Created by the California Legislature in 1970, MTC functions as both the regional transportation planning agency — a state designation — and for federal purposes, as the region's metropolitan planning organization (MPO). As such, it is responsible for the Regional Transportation Plan, a 25-year comprehensive blueprint for the development of mass transit, highway, airport, seaport, railroad, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The Commission also screens requests from local agencies for state and federal grants for transportation projects to determine their compatibility with the plan. For more information, go to www.mtc.ca.gov. To contact MTC, call MTC’s public information office at 510-817-5757 or e-mail info@mtc.ca.gov .

5. How much is the toll on the seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area?
To see the current toll schedule, click here.

6. What is the toll on the Golden Gate Bridge?
The toll for a two-axle car is currently $6 with a $1 discount for FasTrak™ electronic toll collection users; the rate is higher for vehicles with three or more axles. To see the current toll schedule, go to http://goldengatebridge.org/tolls_traffic/toll_rates_carpools.php.

7. Who sets the toll on the state-owned toll bridges?
The toll on the seven state-owned toll bridges in the Bay Area is set by the state Legislature and the Bay Area Toll Authority.

The toll on the Golden Gate Bridge is set by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, an independent public agency. For more information, go to www.goldengatebridge.org.

8. What are the tolls collected on the seven state-owned bridges used for?
Tolls collected on the state-owned bridges are used to finance a number of transportation activities and projects on and near the bridges. BATA administers $2 of the $5 toll to cover the operations and maintenance of the bridges and for Regional Measure 1 and Regional Measure 2 projects. Caltrans administers the additional $3 seismic surcharge, which pays for the seismic retrofit of the state-owned toll bridges, including the replacement of the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

9. How much money is collected annually from bridge tolls from the seven state-owned bridges?
Fiscal Year 2009-10 generated nearly $466 million in tolls collected on the state-owned bridges. Of this total BATA administers $242 million for the operations and maintenance of the bridges and for Regional Measure 1 and Regional Measure 2 projects, and Caltrans administers the remaining portion ($224 million) to cover the seismic retrofit of the toll bridges.

10. How many vehicles cross the seven state-owned bridges annually?
Approximately 123 million vehicles cross the seven state-owned bridges in a year. Of these, 53% of total vehicles pay the full-fare toll electronically using FasTrak™, 42% pay using cash and 5% pay the reduced-fare carpool rate also by using FasTrak™. Bay Area bridge traffic has been slowly declining the past six years.

11. Which toll bridges can I ride my bike across?
Currently, bicyclists can ride across the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, and the Golden Gate bridges – toll-free – subject to posted regulations. A pedestrian/bicycle path is also planned for the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Oakland to Treasure Island).

For more information, go to http://bicycling.511.org/bridges.htm.

12. What is FasTrak™?
FasTrak™ is an electronic toll collection system that allows you to prepay your bridge tolls, eliminating the need to stop at the toll plaza. The system has three components: a transponder, which is placed inside your vehicle; an overhead antenna, which reads the transponder and deducts the toll from your prepaid account; and video cameras to identify toll evaders.

FasTrak™ transponders are compatible with electronic toll collection equipment on all California toll facilities, including the seven state-owned toll bridges in the Bay Area, the Golden Gate Bridge and toll roads in Orange and San Diego counties.

For more information about FasTrak®, including how to enroll, go to www.511.org.

13. If I'm in a cash toll collection lane, can I use a credit or debit card, or a personal check to pay my toll?
No, the toll collectors cannot accept credit or debit card payments, or personal checks. However, you can arrange to prepay tolls by credit/debit card or check, when you set up a FasTrak account.

14. What if I drove through a FasTrak™ or cash toll collection lane without paying?
For the seven state-owned toll bridges, when you pass through a toll lane without paying the toll, an image of your vehicle is captured. A violation notice is sent to the vehicle’s registered owner at the address on file with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The notice requests payment for the toll amount and an additional $25 fee. If you fail to respond to the instructions on the notice, an additional $45 fee may be assessed and you risk having a hold placed on your vehicle’s DMV registration. To pay your violation notice online, go to www.bayareafastrak.org/vector/dynamic/violations/.

If you believe you have received the violation payment notice in error, follow the instructions provided on the notice. Additional violations may result in additional fines.

15. What if I lost my FasTrak™ violation notice or want to dispute the violation?
If you lost your violation notice, you can call the FasTrak® Customer Service Center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655), or for out-of-state callers, call 415-486-TOLL (415-486-8655). If you want to dispute the violation, you can go to www.bayareafastrak.org/vector/dynamic/violations/.

16. What happens if I overpaid the toll or didn't receive enough change from a toll collector?
Please contact the Bay Area Toll Authority at 510-817-5700 and you will be directed to the appropriate staff.

17. What happens if I want to register a complaint against a toll collector?
Please contact the Bay Area Toll Authority at 510-817-5700 and you will be directed to the appropriate staff.

18. When I didn’t have enough money to pay for my bridge toll, the toll collector handed me a “Toll Violation” card. What is this for?
Any person crossing a bridge without money in their immediate possession in an amount sufficient to pay the prescribed tolls is in violation of California Vehicle Code Section 23302. As a courtesy in the past, Caltrans allowed these drivers to pay their tolls later using a “no-fund-vehicle” slip. However, toll collectors on the state-owned bridges are no longer issuing “no-fund-vehicle” slips. Any vehicle attempting to cross any of the state-owned bridges with insufficient funds to pay the tolls are being notified that they will be receiving a toll violation notice in the mail. If violators sign up for FasTrak®, their $25 violation penalty fee may be waived.

19. What if I used a HOV/carpool-lane by mistake?
Vehicles that do not meet the requirements for high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV)/carpool-lane use are subject to a California Highway Patrol (CHP) citation with a fine of $381. If you received a CHP citation, follow the instructions on the citation.

In addition, non-carpool vehicles using an HOV/carpool lane by mistake when crossing a toll bridge will receive a toll evasion notice in the mail. To resolve the violation, follow the instructions provided on the back of the notice.

20. What are the HOV/carpool-lane restrictions at the bridges?
Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridges

• Any 2-axle vehicle, without trailer(s), carrying three or more persons, may cross in designated carpool lane(s) on Monday through Friday between 5 a.m.-10 a.m. and 3 p.m.-7 p.m. The carpool toll of $2.50 shall be paid electronically using a FasTrak® toll tag.
  

Dumbarton and San Mateo-Hayward Bridges

• Any 2-axle vehicle, without trailer(s), carrying two or more persons, may cross in designated carpool lane(s) on Monday through Friday between 5 a.m.-10 a.m. and 3 p.m.-7 p.m. The carpool toll of $2.50 shall be paid electronically using a FasTrak® toll tag.

21. How can I get more information about driving my hybrid vehicle in the Bay Area carpool lanes?
With the passage of the Federal Transportation bill on August 10, 2005 and Assembly Bill 2628 (AB 2628) on September 23, 2004, qualified single-occupancy hybrid vehicles are now permitted to use dedicated High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/carpool lanes in the Bay Area during designated carpool hours, if these vehicles are displaying the distinctive stickers issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Single-occupancy hybrid vehicles pay a reduced toll when driving across the Bay Area toll bridges in an HOV/carpool lane. Click here for more information.

22. How can I find out about traffic conditions, public transit, and car/vanpools in the Bay Area?
Call 511 for both traffic and transit information. You also can go to www.511.org for traffic updates and information on public transit and car/vanpools.

23. How do I get a job with Caltrans?
You can go to http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/jobs/ for more information on employment with the California Department of Transportation.

24. How do I learn of job and contracting opportunities with MTC or BATA?
You can go to http://www.mtc.ca.gov/jobs/ for more information on jobs and contracting opportunities with MTC and BATA.

VEHICLE DEFINITIONS FOR BRIDGE TOLL ASSESSMENT

VEHICLE DEFINITIONS FOR BRIDGE TOLL ASSESSMENT

• "Motorcycle" means any motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, with up to four wheels in contact with the roadway, two of which are a functional part of a sidecar.
• "Seating capacity"- if individual seats are provided, the number of such seats shall be used in determining the seating capacity. If individual seats are not used, seating capacity shall be determined on the basis of 17 inches of seat width per person.
• "Vehicle combination" shall include any combination of motor-driven and drawn vehicle(s). Toll assessment will be based on the total number of axles on the roadway in the total combination.
• "Trailer" means any vehicle, including semi-trailer, designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle.

PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS, FREE BRIDGE TOLL

• Any bridge that has lanes or pathways designated for pedestrian or bicycle use may be crossed toll-free by pedestrians and bicyclists in those lanes or pathways in accordance with Authority operational procedures.

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FREE BRIDGE TOLL, INHERENTLY-LOW-EMISSION VEHICLES

INHERENTLY-LOW-EMISSION VEHICLES

• The Bay Area Toll Authority grants reduced rate passage on the above bridges to inherently-low-emission vehicles with DMV-issued decals, such as electric cars, that use FasTrak® to pay the toll.
• The reduced rate is the same as the reduced rate for high-occupancy vehicles and applies only during the hours when the reduced rate applies to high-occupancy vehicles.

HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLES, FREE BRIDGE TOLL

HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLES

• The Bay Area Toll Authority grants reduced-rate passage on the above bridges for vehicles classified by it as high-occupancy vehicles that use FasTrak® to pay the toll.
• The reduced rate is 50 percent of the regular toll: $2.50.
• The reduced rate applies only as follows: between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on all bridges.
• The following vehicles are classified as high-occupancy vehicles:
  
  1. Two-axle vehicles (without trailer(s)) carrying three or more persons;
  2. Two-axle vehicles (without trailer(s)) carrying two or more persons crossing the Dumbarton Bridge or the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge; and
  3. Two-axle vehicles (without trailers(s)) designed by the manufacturer to be occupied by no more than two persons, carrying two persons.
  4. Motorcycles.
• Tolls that vary by time of day are determined by the time clock or time keeping device at the toll collection point.
• To qualify, high-occupancy vehicles are required to use designated carpool lanes.
• If designated staffed lanes are provided for use by high-occupancy vehicles on any bridge, the high-occupancy vehicles must make cash payment of the reduced-rate passage toll in those lanes.
• So long as it is permitted by law, hybrid vehicles displaying an eligible sticker issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles may use the carpool lanes on the bridges during designated carpool hours at the reduced rate for carpools.

FREE BRIDGE TOLL, COMMUTE BUS AND VANPOOL VEHICLES

COMMUTE BUS AND VANPOOL VEHICLES

• A commute bus or a vanpool vehicle may cross toll-free at any time in designated lane(s), in accordance with Authority operational procedures. Passage through staffed lanes requires a toll-free commute bus ticket or non-revenue FasTrak® toll tag issued by the Authority, or an axle-based toll will be charged.
• A commute bus is a vehicle that is:
  
  1. designed, used or maintained for the transportation of more than 10 persons including the driver;
  2. operated across a state-owned toll bridge on a route commencing and terminating within a radius of 50 miles from the toll collection point of such bridge; and
  3. operated on a regular schedule for any municipal or public corporation, transit district, public utility district, political subdivision or private company for the nonprofit work-related transportation of its employees or by any transportation company operating under a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the California Public Utilities Commission.
• A vanpool vehicle is a vehicle that is operating under the provisions of current ridesharing laws and regulations, and designed for carrying more than 10 but not more than 15 persons including the driver, that is maintained and used primarily for the nonprofit work-related transportation of persons for the purpose of ridesharing.