Are we going to have to change the way we pay for roads?

[rubato]

Currently most funding for road building and repair comes from fuel taxes. Fuel taxes are an attractive method because the amount you pay is somewhat proportional to the miles driven which has an appealing fairness about it.

But all-electric battery cars pay no fuel tax and hybrids pay less than average, although hybrid mileage is currently close to that of high-fuel efficiency vehicles*.

At the moment the proportion of all-electric cars is negligibly small but what happens if/when they are a larger percentage of the passenger fleet? Will we need something like this:

http://www.env-econ.net/2013/10/there-r ... riven.html

Or should we just do it now as an incentive to drive more fuel efficient cars?

yrs,
rubato

* Only the original Honda Insight with 61mpg was a real outlier.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well I'm going with Obamacar. This is a government initiative to supply free roads to people who can't afford electric cars and will be funded by thinking green. That is, the government thinks that people who have green dollar bills should just give them to the government. States can opt out of the free roads program but will have to build large bridges so that neighbouring states' populations can overdrive them and not stop there. Employees of the federal government and staff and members of the legislature in DC are also exempt and will be provided with personal hovercraft to avoid touching roads at all. This plan was formulated in conjunction with the President and former President Clinton, who is a roads scholar. The plan is strongly opposed by the P-Tarty.

[dgs49]

One might also consider that the wear & tear on roads that is caused by cars in general is minimal (let alone the piddling few electrics that we are likely to see in the foreseeable future), compared to the damage done by various forms of trucks.

I don't begrudge trucks the use of the roads - they are earning a living after all - but if we want to charge according to road damage, passenger cars should get a pass.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Eeezzeee peeezzzzeee
Take more from my paycheck.

[Big RR]

So what's your answer oldr, to save money we should maintain the roads even less than we do now? Or maybe cut back on building/rebuilding/expanding them?

[rubato]

Maybe we should do it the Libertarian way; every single road is a toll road. Go to the store? pay the toll. They would charge for all uses, car, bike or on foot.

yrs,
rubato

[Guinevere]

So what's your answer oldr, to save money we should maintain the roads even less than we do now? Or maybe cut back on building/rebuilding/expanding them?

At the same time, lets also cut back on public transportation. And paying for lights/signals and police. Every man/woman/child for themselves! We're all individuals after all, and we can all got it alone!! We don't need to no stinkin' government or community!!!

[MajGenl.Meade]

e-tolling is the answer. Set up the violet gantries - track each vehicle's road usage - send an invoice at the end of the month. Imprisonment for non-payers. Let people buy e-tags linked to their bank accounts and credit cards - that way the gov't can just deduct the money at source.

Bit tough when criminals steal your car and drive back and forth on the highways though..... or the kids....

[oldr_n_wsr]

So what's your answer oldr, to save money we should maintain the roads even less than we do now? Or maybe cut back on building/rebuilding/expanding them?

There is money to spend from the gas taxes and bridge tolls and some highway tolls along with a portion of my property tax bill that goes to town/county roads. They need to use the money as it was originally allocated. Bridge tolls mostly go to the MTA. Then on top of it there is an MTA tax on business payrolls. While I support the trains and subway system as that alleviates road congestion, the waste spent at the MTA and LIRR is staggering.
The gas tax that is supposed to only go to roads has been raided multiple times to balance the county/town budgets.
That needs to stop.

[Big RR]

OK, but the OP here was mentioning that electric cars di not use gas and, thus, pay not tax. As their use becomes more common, the gas tax revenue will fall and will no longer have the same relationship to use. So what do we dio to make up the shortfall.

and yes, there is waste at all levels of government, but that's a different rant. Unless you really think that once we eliminate all (or most of) the waste, we'll have gigantic surpluses that can be used to pay for whatever we need. I don't buy that.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Sorry, I got sidetracked. Unreasonable ranting against the gov, gov waste and taxes is a character flaw of mine I uncovered while doing Steps 4 & 5 .

I am guessing that when full electric cars become mainstream, the gas tax will remain and another tax will be added to your household electric rates. Those who don't have electric cars will be paying the electric tax plus the gas tax.

Then we get to figure out a way to tax the natural gas cars that are coming on line and not paying gasoline taxes.