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Thursday, April 1, 2010 | 2 a.m.
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Sun Coverage
Beyond the Sun
State transportation officials have lost their partners in a search for an alternative to the fuel tax.
Days after the Las Vegas Sun reported the Nevada Transportation Department had developed a prototype device to track vehicles’ mileage and routes, the Washoe County and Southern Nevada regional transportation commissions said they will not fund the second and third phases of the study.
Representatives from the agencies cited the poor economy and limited tax dollars, despite already investing a combined $160,000 in the project.
“We’re not participating in Phase 2 of the study because of the economic climate,” said Allison Blankenship, spokeswoman for the RTC of Southern Nevada. “What we learned from Phase 1 will be valuable if this ends up being a viable long-term solution.”
“This was a valuable step that needed to be done,” said Tom Greco, senior planner for the Washoe RTC. “We, as an agency, need to focus right now on local needs — building roads, funding transit.”
Greco said the Transportation Department had asked each agency to contribute $30,000 to the next phase.
The first phase — researching what other states are doing and creating the prototype — cost about $260,000. The Transportation Department contributed $100,000.
Privacy advocates raised red flags about the pilot program. And the agency has experienced a backlash over the development of the device, which has been referred to informally as a “black box.”
“This is not just about the black box. We don’t even like calling it that,” said Scott Magruder, Transportation Department spokesman. “It’s a mileage-detection device.”
Transportation officials held their first public meeting on the project Tuesday. A change in road building and maintenance funding is necessary, officials say, because as vehicles have become more fuel efficient, the gasoline and diesel taxes haven’t kept pace with infrastructure needs.
A department presentation features pictures of the prototype, developed in partnership with UNLV and UNR, and notes that other states with similar pilot programs have used global positioning systems to report miles, time and location of travel.
The presentation mentions alternatives to the black box, such as drivers self-reporting mileage and officials taking odometer readings.
Although the first phase is set to be completed this year, evaluation of the technology is supposed to last a year. The third phase, a further pilot study, is estimated to take two years.
Magruder said the agency is looking for volunteers.
The Transportation Department doesn’t yet know the costs of the future phases, but Magruder said it hopes federal grant money would be available for future programs.
Big brother is merely taking a break..
An outbreak of Common Sense?
environprotector, you're absolutely right; another BIG BROTHER syndrom. Politicians are now obsolete. What we need are Statesmen with common sense. An Independant
YEA!!!
You just knew this crazy idea wasn't going anywhere.
Spending money to study this baffles me. Who in a position of power actually thought that this might fly in Nevada?
Sounds like they don't want to admit the what an idiotic idea this was in the first place so they're blaming the ending of the study on the "economic climate".
I get the feeling that the last story actually kicked the hornet's nest a bit. I bet call were made, emails were sent, and the wall was written on. Smelling a PR disaster, the bureaucrats decided to retreat.
That was too invasive for it to continue. When there is that much of an outrage over something, they know that it will never work and they are giving up.
Why put a taxi meter type device in every vehicle and at the end of the month have the STATE send a bill to each of us. If you don't pay your bill, the STATE will shut down your vehicle. And you have to pay for the meter!
I would swear this was an April Fools joke if it hadn't been running for a week already.
"This is not just about the black box. We don't even like calling it that," said Scott Magruder, Transportation Department spokesman.
That's my favorite line in the story.
I have a fundamental belief that we as a society already pay enough taxes. If the government agencies want more revenue, they need to cut the wasteful spending such as the $160,000 already spent on this project!
The state already knows how many miles you drive each year, they find out when you get your car smog checked. The mileage is recorded at that time.
They do not need a "black box" for that information. This is just more money wasted.
Why does it seem like common sense has completely left the building. We charge gasoline tax to pay for roads, we pay property tax to pay for roads, we pay DMV fees to pay for roads. We also pay taxes when we buy our cars to pay for roads. How many times do we need to be taxed to pay for the roads. We are double, tripled and sometimes quadrupled tax just to pay for something. In the 37 yrs I have been around I have never heard of taxes going down or going away, they just use it for another crises. School overcrowding crises, road repair crises, sewer crises, water crises, national and or local, debt crises. And now were in a recession crises and its a all out blitz. We all know it cost money for upkeep of things and to do things but damn. I saw what was going on and Im no genues, Whenever the houseing prices go up like they did it always go's down. Why is the government spending our money to look at ways to charge us more money. does that make sense. why did the feds pay out $10 billion dollars to drill a hole in the ground before they knew it was good to go. Why!!!!
Unbelievable. You all think progress comes cheap? And for all of you out there that are afraid of "Big Brother," get rid of your cellphones, computers, and any other technology that you may have. Why? All that can be tracked and logged. If you don't want anyone to know what your doing, move to the country and take up the life style of the old pioneers. As for the "Black Box" research, for the most part, they are right. With vehicles being more efficient, they use less fuel. That in itself is a good thing. But they still to the same amount of wear on our roads. This sounds like a system where if you use the roads a lot, then you pay your share for the upkeep and if you don't; you won't. Besides, if the program works, they may have the boxes manufactured here in Nevada which in turn would produce jobs which in turn would help raise revenue through taxes and would make our states economy more diverse.
MCVegas:
I see that you are in favor of this idiotic idea and tell us why we Nevadans have to subsidize all the non-Nevada vehicles using our roads. Are we going to stop all vehicles going thru Nevada and install the magic box? The system that we have now that everyone who buys gas (residents and non-residents) pay for the fuel tax is fair. It was just a big waste of tax money and nobody wants to take the blame for it.
Just another bad system to collect more tax money. Just like some toll roads. They start out as a small toll "just to pay for the building", but always remain a toll road. You see the people paid to sit in booths to make change. It gets advanced when it can auto bill you credit card. Soon enough you pay $30 per month just to drive to work.
Charging electric cars will be taxed at a different rate soon enough to make up for no fuel tax on them. A new SAE standard plug for the car using a data over power line system has been adopted. The utilities will be working to adapt this technology. Once the system is in place you can charge your car anywhere with-in your utilities system. The utility will automatically recognize the cars VIN when plugged in. If your in their database it will begin charging and be added to your electric bill. I would guess they could even add an extra fee so the charging station makes money. Kinda like charging a pay phone call to your home number, only it automatic. The utility also will have the ability to not charge your car or even discharge the power from your car back into the grid. They can do this to help reduce peek electrical consumption or to get you to pay your bill.
MCVegas... he must be an employee of the State. Drone!
This is an absolute horrible idea. Everyone keeps touting this idea of "You Pay YOUR Fair Share for use of the roads" when in reality, none of this will happen at all. How will the black box be able to charge and factor Vehicle Weight, Trailers, Interstates that are already partially funded by the Federal Government, etc.? And if there is no fuel tax we'll not only loose money on tourism fuel purchases, but the extra wear and tear on our roads from out-of-state drivers who will come here to stock up on fuel.
No one has actually sat down to figure out what the base per-mile cost of this is going to be. From there it's unknown if this system is actually going to bring in more revenue at all. The problem is that drivers themselves may end up being so discouraged by this that we force a further reduction in miles driven by vehicles. That could mean even less tax revenue collected, sending the budget even further into the red. And that's not even counting the price of implementing this program, let alone the cost of defending the numerous law suits that will arise to challenge it.
If this ever came about, prepare for a large influx of older vehicles into Nevada that already have Exemptions on their Odometers, and no ODB-II Computer Systems.
the only black box I vote for is for my cable!
Don't be shocked when the government decides to start taxing your shoes as forms of transportation. I can just see them introducing the new "Step and Tax" czar who will be in charge of the newly established "Foot Patrol" that helps us all understand how much better off we are for it. "If you drive a car, I'll tax the street....If you walk the street, I'll tax your feet!
If all the road taxes collected were only used for roads...there would not be a deficit.
it wouldn't be so bad if our road taxes actually went for the roads. Remember the Clark County ONLY gas tax we all voted for a few years ago to build the 215 freeway and other projects? Last month the special session of the Legislature stole that money and put it into the state's general fund. So, now your extra Clark County gas tax is going to the rest of the state. Think they'll even say "thank you"?
I know I'll never vote for any "Clark County Only" taxes again!!!!
Good. Because it just seemed like on more reason to avoid Nevada....