[sustran] Re: distance based fuel tax technology test

[Jonathan E. D. Richmond]

Hi Paul... I am also doing work on this very subject among others  (and
planning to present it at the APA conference in San Francisco) and would
like to cite you even if your work is in progress. Hope that is ok.

One of the students who went to Singapore also did some work on this
topic.

Regards,

             --Jonathan

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004, Paul Barter wrote:

> I have written something related to this topic. It has a Singapore-focus
> but is probably of wider interest too. It is a work-in-progress, so
> comments criticisms are welcome.
>
> "A vehicle quota integrated with road usage pricing: a mechanism to ease
> the phase-out of high fixed vehicle taxes in Singapore"  by Dr Paul A.
> Barter
>
> Abstract
> This expository paper suggests a way to integrate a vehicle quota with
> usage based charging, including road pricing. It thereby challenges
> assumptions that ownership control requires high fixed vehicle costs. It
> focuses on Singapore, which has high purchase taxes and a Vehicle Quota
> System. These are effective but result in certain problems. The
> authorities are gradually relaxing ownership control and increasing
> reliance on usage charges. Mechanisms are proposed to variabilise fixed
> taxes, including the vehicle permit price, in ways that are compatible
> with the vehicle quota. This could make the shift to usage-based
> charging more efficient, complete and flexible.
>
> The full draft is at www.spp.nus.edu.sg/docs/wp/wp56.pdf
>
> Paul
>
> Dr Paul A. Barter
> Visiting Fellow, LKY School of Public Policy,
> National University of Singapore
> 5 Arts Link, Singapore 117570
> Tel: +65-6874 3324;  Fax: +65-6778 1020
> Email:  paulbarter at nus.edu.sg
> I am speaking for myself, not for my employers.
>
>
> > Original Message:
> > -----------------
> > From: Eric Bruun ericbruun at earthlink.net
> > Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 21:51:09 -0400
> > To: CONS-SPST-SPRAWL-TRANS at LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG,
> > hgstransport at yahoogroups.com, sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org,
> > Rogerboldt at aol.com, Stephen at gabites.co.nz,
> > johanna at africon.co.za, RDELMIST at ebe.uct.ac.za,
> > bo.ostlund at tfk.se, o.galella at trafixconsultants.com,
> > brendon.hemily at sympatico.ca, borning at cs.washington.edu,
> > beimborn at csd.uwm.edu, nhmw at mit.edu, morlok at seas.upenn.edu,
> > allen at wharton.upenn.edu, vuchic at eniac.seas.upenn.edu,
> > pucher at rci.rutgers.edu, gthompsn at coss.fsu.edu,
> > TMatoff at ltk.com, jschumann at ltk.com, francisvanek at yahoo.com,
> > j-schofer at northwestern.edu, jack at cdta.org,
> > gregg at cutr.usf.edu, joel at miamidade.gov,
> > maryon.john at urban-transport.com
> > Subject: hgtrans: distance based fuel tax technology test
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Mileage Tax Road Tested
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >                   Jul 20, 2004
> >                   GPS World
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >       Working under a grant from the Oregon Department of
> > Transportation, two engineering professors at Oregon State
> > University designed and demonstrated a GPS and wireless
> > system for "vehicles miles traveled" (VMT) that could replace
> > the state?s gasoline tax. The system calculates how many
> > miles a vehicle has traveled since its last refueling,
> > computes a fee, and adds it to the fuel cost while the
> > vehicle is still at the fuel pump.
> >       Watchdogs have already objected that such a system
> > would charge the same mileage rate for gas-guzzling SUVs,
> > super-efficient hybrid cars, and everything in between.
> > Others have pointed to a potential threat to privacy.
> > (Impetus for the project actually came from projections that
> > increased fuel efficiency could reduce state revenues from
> > gas taxes to the point, as early as 2014, that it could no
> > longer maintain road
> > infrastructures.)
> >
> >       On the plus side, using GPS in the on-vehicle device
> > gives the capability to implement "congestion pricing" ?
> > charging different per-mile rates based on roads or regions
> > traveled, or times of day. It could also exclude miles driven
> > outside state borders.
> >
> >       In a May demonstration, researchers David Kim and David
> > Porter drove prototype vehicles through zones set up within
> > the city of Corvallis to demonstrate how the system counts
> > miles and then wireless incorporates the user fee into fuel
> > purchases at test gas pumps. AFX Technologies International
> > of Dallas, Texas, customized the in-vehicle units, based on
> > its Mobile Minion asset tracking product, which uses
> > Trimble?s Lassen SQ GPS module.
> >
> >       The VMT will start a pilot trial with 400 volunteer
> > drivers in Eugene, Oregon later this year.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> > mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .
> >
> >
> >
>

-----

Jonathan E. D. Richmond                               02 524-5510 (office)
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