The spate of pedestrian fatalities on San Francisco's streets might bring back an old idea: charging drivers $3 to drive their cars downtown or in other congested areas.
Because, a "little talked-about" study from 2011 showed, such a move could save lives, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
Charging motorists $3 to drive in the Market Street corridor and other crowded parts of the city could cut pedestrian-car collisions across the city by 5 percent, a Department of Public Health study showed, and by as much as 9 percent in the crowded "northeast" section of town.
The fee would also generate as much as $60 million a year, the newspaper reported.
21 pedestrians and four cyclists were struck and killed by cars in 2013, the deadliest year for on-street fatalities since 2001, the newspaper reported. Drivers were at fault in two-thirds of these crashes.
Such an idea is still very unpopular: a poll released Tuesday shows 72 percent of respondents opposed. Among those not in favor are Mayor Ed Lee.
A spokesman for the mayor said San Francisco's chief executive supports other, "more effective" safety measures, such as the construction projects that a $500 million bond and increase in the vehicle licensing fee would fund.
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Those wil be on the November ballot, the newspaper reported.
