Comments on: Electric vehicles the guinea pigs for mileage fee

By: Jayson L

Jayson L — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 23:47:13 +0000

I would encourage you all to read the RUFTF report by ODOT, but I’m afraid you’d have a heart attack and feel like the world just came to an end. As a non-conspiracy theorist regular citizen who talks and interacts with real people in society, I am not the least bit concerned about the road user fee system and neither are most people. It makes sense once you think about it long enough. User fees are the way to go.

What would happen if we privatized the road system? Is that easier or better?

By: Nanc

Nanc — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:54:42 +0000

How are you going to charge all of the out of state drivers? Tourists and business travelers use the roads, too. If they purchase fuel in Oregon at least they’re paying tax towards that use.

By: RobinWonders

RobinWonders — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:38:34 +0000

the government for quite a long time has been trying to get GPS systems into your car for the "purposes of taxation". Not only are they wanting to charge you a "per mile" fee, they are also wanting to charge you a "road usage" tax including a "road congestion" tax. Additional fees may also include tolls. The system proposed by the "Oregon's mileage fee concept and road user fee pilot program" for gas and diesel powered vehicles includes a billing process that when you return to the pump to refuel, the GPS system in the car will communicate with the pump and therefore calculate the amount of tax that you owe based on your travels. In other words, instead of "pre-Paying" a fixed fuel tax under the current system... i.e. you know that you're going to be paying $.42 per each gallon purchased... under the new system, with the tax being a variable rate, it will be a mystery at the pump of what you will owe, and additionally as the system becomes nationwide, the rate could vary from state to state. I'm assuming that for electric vehicles that you will be billed. The other argument against a GPS system in your car, is privacy. Already, the computers in your car collects a lot more data than we are aware of. Last week, at my job, I saw print out which is generated from the vehicles computer showing the exact date and time and location and how long we idled at each location. To view the government report on the subject... go to this address http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/RUFPP/docs/RUFPP_finalreport.pdf?ga=t

By: Jacqueline Aggrave

Jacqueline Aggrave — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:59:13 +0000

I think it’s great that when some people think about paying taxes for the services they use, their brains just shut down. How dare we think of a way other than the dwindling gas tax to pay for roads! I say we cut taxes and let the roads fall apart. I’ll buy a 4x’er and drive over the remaining rubble. Yee haw!

By: Chrs

Chrs — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:10:24 +0000

I hope we are not spending our tax dollars on these people even thinking about this idea. Absolutely not! We would be better off if this task force was picking up litter on the side of the road. Is this a joke?

By: Bike Girl

Bike Girl — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:16:03 +0000

As a bike commuter, I think that all vehicles that use roads should contribute to the cost of maintenance. Given that all tax payers are spending Millions on bike lanes, I think that this approach should be extended to bicyclists as well. It’s only fair to ask the people who are demanding these road improvements to help pay for them. I also think that there should be bike licenses and registration. Bicyclists need to prove that they know the rules of the road through a process similar to that of a drivers permit and they also need to be held accountable for breaking traffic laws just like every other driver on the road. A bicycle license plate would make it far easier for police to stop and hold that bicyclist accountable for blowing through a stop sign because they are in too much of a hurry to unclip and obey the law.

By: Villa Rios

Villa Rios — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:14:04 +0000

These self-agrandizing sleezy ODOT bureaucrats should be shipped to another planet. They only care about bleeding every last penny from our accounts, controlling our every thought and taxing every breath. They are a clear and present danger to life, liberty and the pursuit of hapiness and should be thrown out on the street. Instead they will be living a life of luxury, collecting PERS while the rest of us work until we drop dead to fund their perfect court-approved crime.