The Burlingame Voice

Paying Thrice for the Same Road

With the arrival of the express toll lanes on 101 through B'game, gas powered vehicle drivers now get to pay three times for the same road- regular taxes that are supposed to pay for infrastructure, gas taxes of $0.539 per gallon that are supposed to pay for roads and toll charges.  Who knows where that money is going.  The Merc reports

San Francisco Bay Area motorists on Friday saw a new span of toll-based express lanes open on Highway 101, the latest move to ease congestion on one of the region’s most frustrating commutes.

The opening — from Whipple Avenue in Redwood City to Interstate 380 in South San Francisco — means one of California’s busiest corridors now has 22 miles of express lanes that are free to use for carpoolers carrying at least three people and give other drivers the option to pay for faster freeway speeds.

And of course, there is this "hack"

Q: Why aren’t the lanes reducing congestion for most drivers?

A: One of the central benefits of express lanes is that they incentivize carpoolers, thereby taking vehicles off the roads and freeing up traffic for everybody. Cars with at least three people ride for free, and vehicles carrying two people get a 50% discount. But as express lanes roll out around the region, it’s unclear if the system has encouraged more carpooling, while it is clear that it has encouraged drivers to cheat the system.

An early study from the MTC found that on I-880 in August 2020, the vast majority of drivers claiming to have three people in the car were lying. About 28% of drivers set their Fastrak responder to indicate three occupants, while only 2% of cars were carrying three people, the study found.  “It’s really expensive to do enforcement,” said Goodwin. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to still close the gaps.”

And also of course there is the obligatory "equity" bow

Q: These lanes sound expensive. Are there any options for low-income people?

A: Yes, for San Mateo County adults who are making $78,300 or less a year, there is a one-time $100 stipend for express lanes or public transit rides.

You can bet this program costs huge bundles of cash to design, operate, monitor and dispense a C-note.  MTC admits it barely works and is hard to enforce, but they need to expand it.

CD15: Peas-in-a-Pod for Free Stuff

We are down to the final days before we know who will replace Jackie Speier in Congress.  The scramble started last November when she announced her retirement. Kevin Mullin is likely to be the winner, but I doubt it makes much difference since their positions are basically clones of each other's.  Since we have the new Free Stuff (Not) category, I'll give you another example from the Daily Post's running Q&A with the two candidates.  Yesterday we learned the two peas-in-a-pod think this 

Notice two things:  The Daily Post constructed the question too narrowly.  First, the people who paid off their loans are being taken advantage of and neither candidate says a word about it. That was the question.  But secondarily, the worse harm is to working folks (taxpayers) who pulled it off without taking a loan in the first place!  The ones who didn't go to college or whose family saved enough to pull it off are being abused by this blatant money grab from taxpayers--to the tune of about $605 billion, with a B.  Sadly, the seat may change, but the mindset will not.

Shocking Electric Virtue Signaling in San Mateo

The early refrain about "reach codes" to force march people to use the fuel the masters want them to use regardless of the cost or hassle was that "it doesn't affect you, only new construction".  Well, toss that out in San Mateo as their virtue signaling extraordinaire city council just reached further into everyone's pocket.  And they did it with minimal public support.  From the Daily Journal piece

The ordinance addresses existing building construction through remodels. Panel upgrades in residential buildings will require capacity for future electrification, while all residential kitchen and laundry renovations in single-family homes must include outlet installation for future electric use. Residential buildings will be prohibited from fuel gas infrastructure extension for fire pits, grills and pools. When new air conditioning is installed or replaced in homes, heat pump air conditioning will be required. Heat pump water heaters are required during addition or alteration projects that include water heater replacement.

For electric vehicle charging stations, all homes must have a level two EV-ready space and a level one EV-ready space if a second space is provided. Residential and office buildings must also build up level two charging station capacity.

I hope the city council members get more than just a card at Christmas from the electricians' union.  The piece goes on to note "Questions about the financial impact remain...."    You bet they do.  It's not just the higher cost of the appliances or their availability, but also the direct labor costs and the "soft cost" of the homeowner having to project manage all of this.  Remember when you could call a plumber, ask for a new hot water heater and the only question was 40 gallon or 50?  And the whole job was done in 45 minutes?  No more.  The cost of the electricity alone is enough to bust the budget and all the virtue signalers point to is subsidies from PCE--like that is some sort of free money.

We allowed the camel's nose to slip under the tent in Burlingame back in 2020, but let's hope the rest of the animal stays in San Mateo.  It's also time to get into the generator business.

200 e-Bikes, 200 Grand

It was nearly five years ago that we did the Lime bike (aka "Litterbike") experiment in B'game.  Recall the concerns and complaints here.  This latest experiment is with Spin which appears to have a rule against kids under 18 using their bikes.  During Lime's short-lived experiment, kids seemed to me to be the main riders.  The DJ notes some of the details:

A new electric bike sharing program is set to roll out in Burlingame, with Millbrae also looking to get in on the action.  The program would have 200 electric bikes for transit commuters and in-city use and will be a joint collaboration with Millbrae, which will discuss the idea Oct. 11. Users will get discounts if they park the bikes in “preferred zones” that include existing bike racks, corrals and stencil-marked areas in locations around the cities.

The cities were each awarded a $200,000 San Mateo County Transportation Authority grant to implement a bicycle-sharing program. The total sum for the award equals $440,000, including a $20,000 match by each city. Burlingame and Millbrae will apply the funds toward the purchase of new bicycle racks and signs for preferred parking zones. The cities will also subsidize rides for new users and subsidize a portion of Spin’s cost to purchase e-bikes for the program, according to the report.

It feels a little expensive to me (68% more than the deal Penn State has), but there will be "subsidies" so this will be tagged to the new "Free Stuff (Not)" category as well

Spin is proposing $1 to unlock and 42 cents per minute to ride. Spin also offers discount rates for monthly passes, student pricing and low-income users, according to the staff report.  Spin spokesperson Phuong Bui said that the staff operates 24/7 and aims to respond to bikes parking improperly within two hours.

If that sounds to you like we may have more Spin vans driving around picking up bikes and placing them back where they belong and relocating them, you are not alone.  But there is a fine schedule, and you get banned after four parking infractions.  I've done a couple of two-hour rides on an e-bike and it's fun, but it's also a potentially dangerous activity for those around the rider since they are fast.  I hope BPD is ready for more traffic enforcement.  In fact, let's start now with the motorized scooters that are zipping all over town after school lets out.

New Category: Free Stuff (Not) initiated

We haven't had a new sidebar category in quite a while.  It is the confluence of the end of the Legislative session in Sac'to with hundreds of bills going to Newsom that has spurred me to add Free Stuff (Not) to our list.  Of course, any thinking individual knows there is No Free Lunch, but try telling that to the Legislature, the Gavinor, our president or 99% of the press.

Just in the last two weeks, multiple free lunches are being served.  

Under SB 893, crafted by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, with support from Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, and State Assembly Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, the state would allow the San Mateo County Community College District to waive a mandatory $46-per-unit enrollment fees for nearly 6,000 San Mateo County residents, allowing those interested in enrolling in classes at one of the community college district’s three campuses to attend for free.

The County just approved a $4.2 billion dollar budget.  Will it be enough to make grades 13, 14 and 15 free?  I happen to have actually been on the CSM campus weekly for class over the last year and a half.  The place is deserted except for the football and softball teams and people working out at the really, really nice gym and pool.  You want more housing in the County?  There are plenty of buildings up on the hill that could be "free housing".  And this session, parking is free at CSM.

Our Senator Becker didn't stop there.  He also decided it was important that all prison inmates get free phone calls from inside.  You might think the old rate of .25 per minute is high, but is the answer to just make them free?  Somebody is paying something for the system and usage.  Guess who.

The biggest freebie is federal student debt forgiveness.  This week the CBO calculated that the nut on that one is $400 billion.  And it sends several really good messages.  Don't worry about incurring debt, kids, someone else will pay it off.  Don't worry about cranking up tuition, colleges and universities, the kids will still apply.

Welcome to the newest category--  Free Stuff (Not).