Reducing Congestion in San Francisco??

A recent proposal to limit congestion in downtown San Francisco was recently announced by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.  Modelled after a program used in London, the proposal is to charge cars for driving on main corridors and for traveling in and out of the north east part of the city.  This area includes downtown, the Embarcardero,
parts of South Beach and SOMA, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, North Beach,
Telegraph Hill and Fisherman's Wharf.

I had mixed feelings when I heard about this proposal.  First, although I don't live in this area and my office is located outside of its boundary, I find myself working, working-out, dining-out and enjoying these parts of the city almost every day.  And, I am a huge proponent of making the city greener and getting people out of their cars.  But until our public transportation gets MUCH better, I think this will be a hardship for many San Franciscan's (ok, or at least me...). 

Not only will this program be expensive and inconvenient for San Franciscans, I wonder about its impact on businesses in these areas.  Will people stop using them to avoid paying congestion fees?  Will these fees change drivers behavior and create congestion on other streets and in other areas of the city?  

I do believe that until San Francisco dramatically improves its transit system that this proposal will create more hardship for consumers and hurt businesses as well.