I wonder about the political economy of the shift to EVs, which don’t pay gas tax, as an opportunity for transition. In Colorado, where 1/3 of new cars are EVs, and market share continues steadily growing, I could imagine a winning position like: “to charge EVs we need a new solution, so we’ll replace the state gas tax with state congestion pricing, making the system more fair and more efficient at the same time.”
(Also notable in CO is the relative impact of “rural” congestion as seasonal travel to the many mountain resorts creates horrible traffic outside of the major cities)
I wonder about the political economy of the shift to EVs, which don’t pay gas tax, as an opportunity for transition. In Colorado, where 1/3 of new cars are EVs, and market share continues steadily growing, I could imagine a winning position like: “to charge EVs we need a new solution, so we’ll replace the state gas tax with state congestion pricing, making the system more fair and more efficient at the same time.”
(Also notable in CO is the relative impact of “rural” congestion as seasonal travel to the many mountain resorts creates horrible traffic outside of the major cities)
From your lips to God's ear!
Though I rather expect that what will happen is we take the path of least resistance: fund road maintenance out of general revenue.