Community Corner

Golden Gate Bridge's First Day Without Toll Takers: How Was It?

Did you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge on the first day the district switched to an all-electronic tolling system? Tell us how it went in the comments!

 

The first-ever morning commute with all-electronic toll collection at the Golden Gate Bridge went smoothly today, California Highway Patrol and bridge district officials said.

The only problem was motorists who were driving through the toll plaza faster than the 25 mph speed limit, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay and bridge district spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

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Barclay said some people sped through the toll plaza at 60 mph.

"It wasn't a large number of people," Barclay said.

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On social media, Marin residents similarly said it was smooth sailing across the bridge during commute.

Twitter user @Jeanenne tweeted to Patch at 9:07 a.m. that she had “just crossed and it was totally fine! No delays at all!”

Another Twitter user, @Dave415, said commute traffic at the toll plaza “looked MUCH smoother than usual! Now I can’t believe it took us so long to make the change…”

On Facebook, Lisa Bloch said today's crossing "was a breeze." 

 

Did you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge today? How was it? Was there any confusion at the toll plaza?

 

The Golden Gate Bridge switched to all-electronic tolling just after midnight today. A 27-foot-long LED sign has been installed atop the toll plaza that reads, "Do Not Stop, Automatic Tolling."

The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District expected a smooth morning commute because 85 percent of motorists at that time use FasTrak, district officials said.

Currie said that as expected, after the morning commute ended at 9 a.m., some motorists looking for toll collectors hesitated at the toll plaza.

"They weren't sure what to do, and some rental cars pulled over," Currie said.

The people who pulled into a parking lot next to the Toll Plaza after 9 a.m. included Alexandra Silva, who was holding $6 in her hand as district officials told her about the new system, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

A couple from Hermosa Beach driving a rental car pulled into the lot a few minutes later, according to the IJ, and were worried they had mistakenly driven through a FasTrak-only lane. Rental companies have electronic toll accounts funded by customer fees, Currie said.

All in all, Currie said, the morning commute "went very, very well."

“We’re 10 hours into this and I’m looking and we’re seeing to stopping and no incidents, just people going too fast,” Currie told Patch Wednesday morning.

A bigger challenge may be this weekend with Easter-related traffic across the bridge, she said.

Barclay said there also appeared to be some confusion among motorists who were using a carpool-only FasTrak lane.

That lane requires three people in a vehicle, but in Marin County, the carpool lane on southbound U.S. Highway 101 leading to the bridge only requires two people in a car.

When motorists realized the discrepancy, some "ducked out at the last second" to the right or left, Barclay said.

"This a brand-new thing. There will be a lot to get used to as people start going into that lane," Barclay said.

The CHP has increased its presence at the toll plaza and will ticket speeders as necessary, he said.

"For as long as FasTrak has been in effect, some people went through the toll plaza at 60 mph. Now there are 11 lanes to do it," Barclay said.

There is a live public address system hooked up between the toll plaza and the nearby Golden Gate Bridge district's administration building, Barclay said.

"There are people watching for anything out of the ordinary. They can tell motorists, 'Do not stop here,'" Barclay said.

FasTrak is one of the four payment options. Here's the complete list of ways to pay: 

  • FasTrak: While 86 percent of morning Golden Gate Bridge commuters use the popular payment system, the district is encouraging all drivers to do the same, particularly because FasTrak users save $1 on each toll. 
  • License Plate Account: For those who prefer not to have a FastTrak, either because of the required pre-payment, the GPS-enabled sensor it requires or any other reasons, a credit card-based account can be set up using a car's license plate, which will be scanned each time it passes through the toll plaza. Accounts can be opened, funded and maintained with a credit card, cash, check or money order. When the account is opened with a credit card, a "pay-as-you go" toll is charged to the credit card only when you cross the bridge. 
  • One-time payment: Drivers who don't want to have an account for tolls, as well as those who use rental cars, can pay in advance for their bridge use. Payments can be made by phone using a credit card or in person with cash at cash payment locations or in person using cash, check, money order or credit card at the Bay Area FasTrak Service Center in San Francisco.
  • Invoice: If none of the above options are used, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a bill in the mail for the unpaid toll.

Electronic kiosks for cash paying customers have been rolled out throughout the Bay Area. 

At the kiosks (scroll down for location details in Marin) drivers can pay for their bridge toll up to 30 days before or 48 hours after they cross the iconic span, allowing them to avoid receiving an invoice in the mail for their toll.

Drivers can also use the kiosks to add money to a FasTrak account, add money to a license plate account, pay a mailed invoice or pay a violation. All they need is cash and their license plate number. To see a map of all the kiosk locations in the Bay Area, click here.

More information about the electronic tolls and how to pay can be found on the bridge district's website at www.goldengate.org/tolls.

A few of the district’s nine full-time and 29 temporary Golden Gate Bridge toll-takers were at their posts until midnight on Tuesday, when the switch was made.

Marsha Brandhorst, who was been a toll collector at the bridge for 19 years, told the Marin Independent Journal she has met people who didn’t like FasTrak and preferred to interact with the toll takers.

--Bay City News contributed to this report. Copyright © 2012 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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