Funny thing is an Odyssey or Caravan can transport as easily and comfortably up to 4-5 kids as well as any Tahoe could ever do – all the while getting 22mpg not 13 mpg. The minivan also has much better packaging and much more room overall. The higher average gas price will keep the Image conscious owners who have already abandoned their rugged styles in droves already from buying their big trucks again when gas prices go down as what is now happening. Those who need a truck will still buy them but drive them more wisely – maybe own a smaller fuel efficient car for the other 90% driving when they don’t need 10,000 towing capacity just to go to the mall to buy shoes or pick up the kids from school.

I have a reverse commute (7 miles) to get out of chicago that on public transport, on a GOOD day is 45 minutes. on a bad day it is 70.

The car takes me NEVER longer than 30, and sometimes as low as 20-25.

Basically, public transport here is unusable unless you have a single bus or train to take & live right next to it.

On TOP of this, we pay 10.25% sales tax!!!!!!!!!!

I’d be for a gasoline tax if it would be used to fund DECENT public transportation or discourage people from driving.

I don’t know if they could get the prorata thing to work in DC. Otherwise, you are all good.

Prorating it would mean that as gas prices increased, the feds would get less per gallon, AND, there would be less gallons sold. That would drive them into a revenue hell, and they would simply have to raise some taxes. Now, if we could get them to actually build up a rainy day fund…

Well, you get my point.

Don’t want too many people buying gas guzzlers? Set a national tax on gasoline and diesel that is pro rated so when gas prices fall it still artificially holds them high. People will buy more fuel efficient cars and those that use guzzlers are penalized more.

Want to reduce congestion and traffic into larger cities saving us billions in wasted energy and significantly cut smog and emissions – encourage employers to reduce office travel, reinvest and upgrade existing mass transit systems in our top 50 large cities – make it easy for people to commute through alternate means or eliminate it altogether. Change the demand there and everything else simply falls in line (less congestion – reduce oil dependency, etc.).

I think it MAY be (and I say this only out of conjecture) that since many of these roads are partially funded by federal funds, the DOT may have to allow them to change the way the cities or states monetize them. If my local city suddenly started charging tolls on an interstate freeway, for example, I assume that this would mean a reduction in Federal funds for that same stretch of road.

Congestion pricing makes sense on a local basis, not as a federal policy.

You got this one right. They have been looking at doing the same thing for aircraft. They say it’s because corporate jets are causing congestion yet don’t pay their fair share of the costs of running and updating ATC. Just because congress has been refusing to make a decision it has had an efffect. The result is that corporate jet sales continued to boom, while piston planes got slaughtered. Of course, the pistons were not any part of the problem at all, but most of us have no stockholders to pass our costs onto. Passing them onto our customers wasn’t likely going to happen either.

I’m not getting any richer over here, Mr. President! I’ve already paid more than my fair share – get your hand out of my pocket!

(;^D

Bunter

Oh and there’s one way to get into Manhattan without paying a toll… 3rd Avenue Bridge. Shhhh you didn’t hear it from me.

As far a congestion charges, I’m sure a lot of people would rather work from home in the suburbs. Of course, then Bloomberg loses out on tax revenue from lunches, etc.

How grocer in NYC will delivery vegetables to his clients? Or anyone for that matter who has a small/medium business? I know charging this tax to customers. Then the tax has double affect: it will raise the cost of doing business and will hurt those who can afford it the least. Yes, CEO will be driven by his limo regardless of cost.
Another point: with UN and all consulates all foreign reps in NYC already do not pay their fines. Those will not pay taxes either. It is citizenry of this country who gets screwed. And realistically, who in the right mind ventures into Manhattan during rush hours, without desperate need to do so?

While a federal all-in-one mileage charge makes sense, it is much easier just to raise the gas tax. the adminstration costs would be high. Gas tax is a bit unfair to truckers, but they are the ones doing the damage to highways.

I’ve always said raise the gas tax by a dollar but give back the money in you tax return for a few years to ease the pain.

In other cities, it would help get people to use public transportation, but I don’t see it working well for cities that aren’t on islands. It’s easy to toll at every entrance to Manhattan because there’s not a ton of them.