Posted on 10/04/2004 1:24:20 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
PHILADELPHIA - Paying your road taxes in the future might depend more on how much you drive than how much gasoline you pump.
Texas is among a group of states researching how to replace the fuel tax with a fee based on the number of miles traveled — making every road a virtual tollway. Transportation officials from across the world discussed the concept here at last month's annual meetings of the trade groups representing the highway and tollway industries.
Fees for miles traveled would be measured by Global Positioning System receivers embedded in vehicles. The system would track which roads a motorist uses so the virtual tolls could be distributed to the appropriate agency.
Each jurisdiction could set its own per-mile fee. Data would be downloaded from vehicles monthly for billing, or could be transmitted at service stations in lieu of the gas tax.
Jack Lettiere, New Jersey transportation commissioner, said most states are falling short of collecting enough gas-tax revenue to meet mobility needs and they desire a new funding mechanism.
"We're hoping this is a theory that can go into practice," Lettiere said at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials meeting. "It has a lot of useful benefits."
Researchers love the idea that driving taxes could be adjusted to promote or discourage certain actions. The system could charge more per mile during peak hours, for instance, or add a surcharge for heavy trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Those promoting a mileage-based approach to highway taxes contend driving should be metered and billed according to use.
"Why shouldn't transportation be seen as a utility like electricity, water, etc.?" Hal Worrall, a consultant for Transportation Innovations Inc., asked during a panel at the International Bridge, Tunnel and Toll Road Association conference. "It's perceived as free in America and thus produces a large demand."
David Forkenbrock, director of the University of Iowa Public Policy Center, has been working on a model for four years. His research is funded by 15 states, including Texas, and the Federal Highway Administration.
As more hybrid and alternative-power vehicles are built, Forkenbrock said, gas-tax collections will suffer.
"A tax at the point of purchase is inferior to user charges at the exact point of travel," he said, explaining the growth of toll roads in recent years.
Oregon has already tested a mileage-based charge. It starts a pilot project next year with 280 volunteer drivers in Eugene, who will be exempt from fuel taxes in exchange for paying their per-mile assessment.
713-362-6832
traffic@chron.com
Eugene is known as Berkeley North for good reason. :):)
Have you seen this Salvation ~ would you ping the Oregon FReepers. :)
How does one go about identifying the specific individuals who articulate, promote and otherwise embrace this form of "public service"?
For the specific purpose of making sure they remain permanently unemployed in the public sector, of course.
I really would like to know.
You know most politicians don't have the spine to raise taxes on the "masses." So instead, they design a new system that does the same thing.
I love the liberal hypocracy here. These tree-huggers love to preach that you should purchase one of these crappy hybrid vehicles or other wussy-Eurocars that are good on gas. Of course they forget that for each SUV taken off the road and MPG that is increased they lose their ability to sock it to you in the form of gas taxes. And what liberal doesn't like taxes?
So what do the liberals try to do? Neutralize the tax benefits of getting one of these girlie-cars by changing the system.
I don't want the stinking government having ANY sort of information on me. It's bad enough they set the speed limit artifically low to generate revenue. Putting a GPS device in there would be a windfall for them.
All I know is if the government is hell-bent on starting up this crap, I will be keeping my gas-guzzling SUV for a long time and hope that old cars are grandfathered in somehow. The ACLU better be all over this. In fact, we need some of the anti-tax groups opposing this too.
Where have you been Mr. Smith? Never mind, we already know! Resistance is futile!
Who in the Texas govt, wants this?
Please be specific.
Ok, here's what we do. We take up a collection from interested parties that are opposed to satellite surveillance. We build a gigwatt EMP transmitter and zap the satellite. Problem solved. No wait, that's illegal isn't it? My bad.
Believe me, I know. There are very few post-WWII cities in which any type of mass transit would ever be self-sufficient.
It's the older model cities like NY, Boston, and Chicago where the traditional urban mass transit options like heavy rail work. This light rail crap that goes from where you have to drive to the train station to not where you want to go really doesn't work too well.
Believe me, I know. There are very few post-WWII cities in which any type of mass transit would ever be self-sufficient.
It's the older model cities like NY, Boston, and Chicago where the traditional urban mass transit options like heavy rail work. This light rail crap that goes from where you have to drive to the train station to not where you want to go really doesn't work too well.
Brilliant!
Looks to me like they'll offer lower mileage rates to owners of fuel-efficient cars. And I'm guessing they'll get this into effect before the majority are even aware of it, thereby bypassing any massed resistance.
It's not going to be easy to stop/prevent this stuff.
Your interpretation of freedom is pretty radical, and not in keeping with American tradition, IMO. I couldn't disagree more strongly...travel restriction and monitoring is characteristic of the worst kinds of totalitarian governments.
I think you are trying to say that the use of highways is not free, which is true. But there is no legitimate relationship between paying for highways and being tracked like animals by government bureaucrats.
Well, I wasn't going to accuse the GOP of being the party of small government. I would hope, though, that they would be less likely than the Democrats to sponsor such a thing.
However, I won't be surprised if you guys are right.
There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about this kind of thing, but the basic premise of this type of revenue generation is sound. What they are trying to do is move toward a system where the users of the roadway system incur a cost that is more directly tied to the type of roads they use, the times they use them, etc. This is exactly what is needed to alleviate the kind of congestion that has become a recurring problem in every major U.S. city.
I smell a market for portable GPS scramblers. On inspection all works fine, on the road, well that's a different story. Roll back the odometer and you are set.
Ehh, you look at it with the eyes of a cynic and partisan. Now look at it through the eyes of marketing. Hell, before you know it, most Americans will be paying to have themselves monitored and tracked..oh wait: Onstar.
Yeah, my wife has Onstar in her car!
OTOH, being a frugal type, she didn't renew it this year.
That was my first thought, but perhaps it has possibilites.
Regardless of the economic soundness of it, agreeing to it amounts to sacrificing our principles for expediency.
As a side note, I doubt it will replace gas taxes in the end, we'll have both.
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