By Bryan Goebel
If you think rush-hour traffic is bad in downtown San Francisco now, a new report from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority says it's going to get even worse in the coming decade.
“We're going to be faced with severe congestion at some point. We're not able to say exactly when, but it's certainly within the next, I'd say, 10 years. And if we don't move decisively now, it might even be sooner than that,” said Tilly Chang with the SFCTA.
Chang said a plan to charge drivers to enter or leave downtown, known as congestion pricing, is again emerging as one solution to alleviate gridlock. She said something more is needed to really slow down the growth of traffic flooding into that area.
“We definitely see parking management and congestion pricing as examples of how we can encourage people to review their choices and to really think about, 'Do I really need to make this trip in a car?' ” Chang said.