Panel says no to idea for tax on miles driven

Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 25, 2007 at midnight

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BRECKENRIDGE - Big Brother won't be watching you any time soon, at least not where you've been driving.

A governor's panel considering how to raise more money for Colorado transportation projects is putting on ice a technologically advanced proposal to charge motorists fees based on how much they drive, either as a replacement for the gasoline tax or a supplement to it.

The technology exists, thanks to global satellite systems, to track a vehicle's precise itinerary - including where and when the vehicle travels, which would allow the state to charge a higher fee, for instance, for driving on congested highways at rush hours. But Colorado should wait until the system is more fully tested, members of Gov. Bill Ritter's transportation financing panel agreed here Friday.

Besides the technology question, it could take years for citizens to get used to the idea that the government could keep track of what streets they drive on and when they drive.

Transportation takes its toll

Gov. Ritter's panel on transportation finance Friday looked over five targets for additional revenue to meet public expectations for road improvements:

• $340 million: The amount needed to catch up on the backlog of repairs to roads and deteriorating bridges.

• $500 million: All those repairs, plus $160 million a year to speed completion of major statewide highway projects promised first in 1997.

• $1 billion: All of the above, plus another $500 million annually for projects that relieve traffic congestion.

• $1.5 billion: All of the above, plus $500 million annually for 10 years to eliminate backlogs in safety, highway quality and mobility projects now gathering dust.

• $2.6 billion: All of the above, plus full funding for the list of projects on the state's plans through 2030.

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