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View Full Version : California Members (Bridge tolls going up 150% to 200% (Boaters Please Read)



HiTechKoke
01-26-2010, 10:22 AM
Only Californians need read this one.... goota love our state...this one hits me in the pocketbook every weekend.

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If you are a boater or someone who may haul anything with an axle or two (ie your boat) you are about to experience a 150% (single axle) to 200% (double axle) fee increase if you use any of the Bay area bridges which includes:

Antioch (Definitely a hit for Delta fisherman)
Carquinez (heading north out of the Bay area on I-80)
Benecia Martinez Bridge
Bay Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Dumbarton Bridge
Richmond San Rafael Bridge
San Mateo-Hayward (for those heading to Half Moon Bay from the east side)

The fee for those hauling more than 2 axles will likely jump to $5 an axle so the $6 3 axle fee you pay now will jump to $15 and and dual axle would jump from $6 to $20! Axle fee increases would be no earlier then July 2011 but once they set it in place we will not have much of a voice to protest unless they hear from us now. The details of this increase is located on this web site:

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/info/toll_increase.htm

The BATA (Bay Area Toll Authority) will likley be approving this increase on Wednesday the 27th at their meeting in Oakland at 9:30AM Unfortuantely they have already had public meetings in Nov and Dec that I don't think us boaters were aware of this so the protest might be too late as the meeting Wednesday allows for public comment after they have made their decision on the recommended proposal. The general increase for auto drivers is only going up a dollar and the intent was to jack up the fees for truckers and big rigs but this is hitting the wrong group, that being recreational boaters along with a lot of other people with trailers.

The Contra Costa Times ran this article yesteday

http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_14254916

I am considering attending this meeting for the public comment portion as this is an unjustified increase hitting the boaters and those that have no choice but to get hit by two bridge tolls back and forth to the Delta or North on I-80 for example. That's a $30 commute fee for the day or weekend. I can't find a good place to complain via email other than the general email of:

info@mtc.ca.gov

which they will give you a form letter back to attend their meeting and ask to speak. Here's the generic template they sent back:

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Thank you for your message. The Bay Area Toll Authority meets at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, to take final action on the proposed bridge toll increases. The meeting is at MTC, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, in the MetroCenter Auditorium. Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting; the usual procedure, should you wish to speak, is to fill out a blue speaker's card and hand it to the committee secretary.
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If you have the time I would strongly urge you to go attend this meeting and speak on behalf of your fellow boaters and anyone you know that will be hit by this huge unjustified increase.

Kevin

Bduck
02-04-2010, 10:25 AM
This effects me in some ways as well. I'm always making trips back to Calif visiting family members that do live in the SF Bay area. California is digging deep to try and make up for "officially" being broke. The state is already going backwards in population-deplosion. Wandering if former governor Grey Davis has his hands in this one after what he did with auto registration fees when he was in office. Does the fees stay the same for regular autos, trucks? I'm surprised there hasn't been a fee for just having a dually. SSSShhhh! No matter how ridiculous Cali gets with some fees & laws, some other states tend to get caught up into the 'domino' effect.