Re: UK to start pay-as-you-drive road charging trials in 2010

On Aug 21, 1:28 pm, Clark F Morris <cfmpub...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:53:21 -0700 (PDT), Rick Powell



<rkpow...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Aug 20, 12:08 pm, "Paul D. DeRocco" <pdero...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Larry G" <gross.la...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote

According to a report in the Telegraph, the UK is pushing ahead with
plans to trial "spy in the sky" technology with a view to implementing
a national road-pricing scheme.

Eight areas - Leeds, North Yorkshire, Milton Keynes and
Buckinghamshire, south west London, Suffolk and Essex - have been
selected for the pay-per-mile trials.

The trials will begin in January 2010, with one hundred cars in each
area being equipped with GPS devices to track their movements.

The government is reportedly close to signing contracts with four
companies that will conduct the national trials, testing not only the
technology that will be fitted into the cars, but also the
administration necessary to run a system, including sending out
bills.

http://social.telematicsupdate.com/content/uk-start-pay-you-drive-roa....

Gee, isn't that what a gasoline tax accomplishes, much more simply?

--

Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                mailto:pdero...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Works well as long as "gas" or "diesel" is the medium being taxed.
Not so easy with plug in hybrids or all-electric vehicles.  And the
rates will need to fluctuate up as vehicles become more efficient.

I favor a monthly odometer reading (similar to a gas or electric meter
reading) if a mileage-based system is enacted.  Eliminates the Big
Brother aspect.

How do you apportion it by jurisdiction?  Depending on the area a lot
of driving may be multi-state (or in Canada, multi-province).



RP

with GPs it is no sweat because it "knows" the jurisdictional
boundaries and would be able to subtract out-of-jurisdiction miles.

without GPS and only vin/odometer info - it might end up like when you
go to Canada and pay taxes.. if you later file a form you can get them
back...

the other thing - that the collection scheme would probably have to
take into account adjacent jurisdictions where one collects by the
mile and the other one does not... folks would do what?

What I'd predict is that .... just like with some toll roads where you
have the option of using EZpass or paying manually.... when they do
implement this thing - you'll have a choice of paying by the mile or
paying the gas tax (which would not apply if you were paying by the
mile).

The gas tax would then be raised .... to the point... where for many
folks.. paying by the mile might be cheaper....

It may even be incorporated into the existing EZ-pass and/or GPS
systems..... .. which.. at some point will probably be a standard
equipment accessory on all cars.... that might well also incorporate
vin/odometer broadcast.

I think eventually the law will say that...just like with phone
calls... that Law Enforcement cannot "track" you unless they get a
warrant ...like a wiretapping warrant ... and of course we all know
that sometimes they do it anyhow so they can ...later on.. catch you
in the act.

They did this with an ex con who was suspected to have gone back to
his old habits of assaulting women.. so they put a GPS "tracker" on
his car .. and then actually caught him in the act on his next
assault.

the thing to remember is that now days.. the police can put a GPS
tracker on your car - actually anyone can ...as such trackers sell for
about a hundred bucks... so the idea of big brother being able to
track you - is true - but there are so many ways for him to do
it...that a charge-by-the-mile technology would be just one more....
of a bunch of ways to do it anyhow...



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