Research shows that low-income families benefit most from the time savings provided by toll roads — but they use these roads less than any other income group. That’s because they are disproportionately burdened by tolls. Toll discount programs like the one just established by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission will reduce the impact of tolls on low-income drivers without undermining tolls’ climate and congestion benefits.

Black and Latinx drivers in San Francisco are pulled over more than other drivers for offenses so minor that citations are often not issued. When these “pretext” stops do result in tickets, the resulting fines can be punitive. Using data-driven decision making, San Francisco has limited eight types of pretext stops that had no effect on road safety and little effect on public safety. SPUR and dozens of other organizations, along with impacted people, helped end this unjust practice.