Perfectly Shaped Charge

August 09, 2008

Pay-as-you-go driving killed the traffic jam.

Maybe. Some day. Oregon successfully field tested a way to pay for our roads that includes a gorgeous opportunity to kill the traffic jam. A GPS device in the car tracks miles driven and roads used. A corresponding device at the pump downloads the information. For cars so equipped, the fuel tax is credited on the receipt, replaced with charges for miles driven, zones used and for driving in rush hour traffic. Like this:

   

Oregon's approach thoughtfully provides for seamless implementation and minimal hassle for drivers: if you aren't equipped with the technology, you get the usual gas tax; if you are equipped, you settle up at the pump as always have (only you pay mileage and rush hour charges instead of a gas tax).

Imagine if you knew you'd pay extra to drive in rush hour: some would choose to drive at other times. Some would then be able to make the business case for flex time or telecommuting. Truckers and other road-using businesses would be incentivized by cold, hard, quantifiable cash to adopt strategies and tactics to avoid congestion. And, like a good sin tax, charges could be shaped so that a good portion of the revenues needed to pay for our roads come from behaviors we'd like to curtail.

Oregon offers up the perfectly shaped charge to better build and use our roads.

Photo: Zel Nunes on flickr

(thanks also to fellow blogger Mary Peters, the forward thinking Secretary of the US Department of Transportation, for providing the Oregon link)

Comments

[stomv]

And that "perfectly shaped charge" comes with the government tracking my each and every move throughout the day? No thanks. Totally inappropriate and Orwellian.

Want to charge for congestion? Just use traditional toll roads with varying rates based on congestion. Sure it's imperfect, but it also allows people to pay in cash and even if the state uses cameras to track license plate to location, it's still only time slices of transportation and only on certain roads, not a minute-by-minute continuous capture of the vehicle's whereabouts on every single road statewide.

[Chris]

stomv,

as Oregon developed their plan, they found that preserving privacy was the public's number one concern. On Page 59 of their plan ( http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/RUFPP/docs/RUFPP_finalreport.pdf ):

"While the Oregon Concept involves the use of a GPS receiver to delineate zones, ODOT designed this use not to send an identifying signal out from the on-vehicle device to mark real time travel. Thus, no one would have the ability to track a vehicle's movements while it was underway or parked. ODOT also designed the on-vehicle device not to retain any travel history. No one, therefore, with a search warrant or court order could obtain that travel history because no travel history exists."

The final report, issued in November 2007, was six years in the making. The way they addressed privacy concerns, and explored technologies and revenue gathering and other aspects of implementing show a lot of thought and effort. It seems to be well considered, and, best of all, offers far reaching potential to shape our driving behaviors in positive ways.

[David Mc Neill]

I find it odd that it took someone commenting to get the privacy issue mentioned. Frankly any time you talk about using technology that tracks miles traveled and when traveled, you had BEST address issues such as privacy and ensuring that there isn't a means of tracking the travel of a private citizen as they conduct their daily routine. Governments are supposed to SERVE us, not us them.

That said, and with the addition of the information in the comment, it sounds like Oregon has something all other states need to look at and implement right down to the privacy side of things.

[Chris]

David, having a fluid, adaptable way to work on the traffic jam was the attractive piece of Oregon's work that gave rise to the post. From that angle, privacy was a side issue and talking about it would detract from the leanness and focus on message. That said, the privacy issue seems to be thoughtfully addressed.

One aspect of Oregon's thinking is that this is best implemented nationally (versus by individual states), because the GPS system is best included during the initial manufacture of the vehicle.

Program Director Jim Whitty met with Congress several weeks ago to explain and discuss the program.