Golden Gate Bridge Toll for Bikes

I love riding my bike. Actually, I love riding any one of the three bikes I currently own. I'm no bike snob though, like a lot of people. Mostly the bike snobs are guys who dress like Lance Armstrong and ride like the road is only for them. They'd rather run you off the road than yield an inch--then cuss you out cause they had to break their rythm. The other group that's snobby is the Puck the Bike Messenger crowd on their fixed gear single speeds with no brakes. They figure they're holier-than-thou because they have a minimalist bike. I say big deal, it's only a bike for crissakes. If you're on a bike you're alright by me--it doesn't matter what kind it is. Everybody unites under common cause when Critical Mass rolls around at 6pm the last Friday of every month. Eventhough some of those guys can be pretty militant I think Critical Mass is a positive event that adds to the flavor of San Francisco.
For whatever reason the GG Bridge District has been claiming poor for as long as I can remember. The current vehicle toll is $5. In addition to funding bridge maintenance this toll also subsidizes ferry and bus service from Marin County into the city for commuters. The GGBD's most recent scheme for generating more cash flow is to start charging pedesterians and bicycle riders a toll as well. Most of the pedesterians are tourists so they don't really have a say in the matter, but the bicycle crowd is less than enthusiastic about this as one can imagine. The SF Bike Coalition has organized numerous letter writing campaigns and petitions with the hopes of convincing Governor Schwarzenegger to sign AB 748 which would prohibit tolls for bikes and pedesterians on all bridges in California. He vetoed the bill. Here's what the latest SFBC email has to say about the matter:

Governor Vetoes Ban on Bike/Pedestrian TollsWe have learned that the
Governor has vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 748, legislation that would have
prohibited tolls on cyclists & pedestrians on bridges and highways around
the state, including on the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite rising gas prices,
increasing obesity trends, and more environmental concerns related to motor
vehicles, the Governor unfortunately still chose to send a message that the
state discourages - rather than encourages - healthy, sustainable transportation
such as bicycling and walking. Bay Area bicyclists have worked hard in support
of this bill in the past few months, including sen! ding more than 1,000 letters
to the Governor & gathering thousands of petition signatures. (Thank you to
all of you who support these efforts by signing our petitions!)---> To see
the Governor's veto message, see http://www.sfbike.org/ggb

That sounded like an uncharacteristic thing for a man who has spent his life body building to do, so I went to the website to see what his reasoning was:

To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly
Bill 748 without my signature. I strongly encourage Californians to use
bicycling and walking as modes of transportation when possible because of the
physical fitness benefit, as well as the congestion mitigation and air quality
benefits. However, this bill would inappropriately usurp control from the local
governing body, the Golden Gate Highway and Transportation District. Since the
District has been authorized to operate and maintain the bridge, the state
should not tie its hands by foreclosing certain funding options.
Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger

If one only reads the opinion of the SFBC, one would think the governor is against bicycles and alternative transportation. But if you read WHY he vetoed the bill, it makes sense. It's about not exercising power outside of his jurisdiction. Now that I think about it, I don't think I'd mind paying a dollar to access the Marin Headlands and beyond. Riding across the bridge sure as heck beats putting my bike on my back and swimming. That's worth at least one dollar.