States Mull Taxing Drivers By Mile

At first I thought this was a hoax. (Like years back when the rumor of the USPS stating that would begin charging for sending/receive e-mails) At closer inspection is does look like something that is actually being worked on. This is even more intrusive then the potential of using EZ-PASS/FAST-PASS to issue speeding tickets. (by calculating the speed a motorist averaged between toll plazas. ) There are so many "What about..." questions in my head. Infrastructure wise: equipping all cars and gas stations with compatible equipment. Logistics: How would you calculate road usage with interstate travel in non-participating states? (Out of state commuters, tourist, Rental cars, Delivery services (FedEx, UPS etc.) Conceptually (revenue wise) it might be seen as something similar that is done in London today. Charging motorists a commuter fee to limit the amount of traffic in the city center. The London situation appears to be more focused on reducing traffic than as a way to make revenue. Maybe CA would focus this just on particular areas. Even so, I hate the idea. Let's find a way to better use the money we have rather than just through more money at the problem. The article ends with a comment in how imposing this tax sends the wrong environmental message. "Everybody, we thank you for purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles and reducing the amount of emissions into our atmosphere but because you are using less fuel (i.e. lowering our revenue from gasoline tax) we will have to charge you by the mile regardless of what vehicle you drive." This might force more people to use public transportation which I bet would end up becoming more exspesnsive since fewer people would be driving.