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From: AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: People Without Meaningful Lives Seek Power Over Others
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:12:31 -0600
Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd.
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On 1/23/2025 2:17 PM, Catrike Ryder wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:42:41 -0600, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
> 
>> On 1/23/2025 12:59 PM, Shadow wrote:
>>> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:10:06 -0500, Frank Krygowski
>>> <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 1/23/2025 6:23 AM, zen cycle wrote:
>>>>> On 1/22/2025 10:03 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In fact, I think if we could do so, road taxes should all be on such a
>>>>>> per-mile-driven system, maybe modified additionally for the weight of
>>>>>> the vehicle.
>>>>>
>>>>> Texas tried it
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2024/10/23/a-look-at-
>>>>> texas-private-toll-roads/
>>>>>
>>>>> at least in one case, it didn't go so well:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-tollway-288-steep-price/
>>>>>
>>>>> "Since the tollway opened in November 2020, toll rates have increased by
>>>>> more than 160 percent, going from $11 for the full 20-mile round trip
>>>>> during peak hours to $29 dollars now. "
>>>>
>>>> That looks like an astonishingly bad agreement between the government
>>>> and BTG corporation. But note that BTG paid only a third of the cost of
>>>> construction, so even that "private" toll road was heavily subsidized by
>>>> taxpayers. I'm pointing this out to those who say rail transport should
>>>> cover all its expenses via fares, with zero subsidies.
>>>>
>>>> To try for a broader overview of road taxes: There are people who never
>>>> drive, and people who drive far more than others. Since the vast
>>>> majority of road-related expenses are _not_ covered by gasoline taxes,
>>>> why should a non-driver pay the same road taxes as a mega-driver?
>>>>
>>>> Why not tie those taxes the amount of roadway used by each driver, since
>>>> that (as well as vehicle weight) is a main determinant of roadway
>>>> expenses? After all, train fares are strongly affected by the the
>>>> rider's travel distance - IOW the amount of track used.
>>>>
>>>> To allay the fears of the paranoid: The government wouldn't need to
>>>> track your movements. You'd simply need to submit evidence of your
>>>> odometer total once per year.
>>>
>>> 	That wouldn't work. Too many crooks around.
>>> 	First think people do when they buy a new car in Brazil is to
>>> ask the dealer to disconnect the odometer. So they can sell it years
>>> later with "very low mileage".
>>> 	[]'s
>>>>
>>>> Seems to me the crew that says "Let the market decide" should be all in
>>>> favor of this idea.
>>>>
>>>> And please note, I'm not making this argument for my own benefit. Quite
>>>> the opposite! As I've said, my life situation has changed in a way that
>>>> makes me driver far more annual miles than I ever did before, and I'm
>>>> doing it in an EV. I'm pretty sure I'm paying less than "my share" of
>>>> roadway expenses.
>>
>> And reversing odometer mileage is a widespread and creative
>> industry here as well.
>>
>> p.s. The sloppy ones get arrested and charged. The smarter
>> ones are doing the same thing, better, at this moment:
>>
>> https://www.wmtv15news.com/2023/12/05/almost-1k-car-wholesalers-operating-out-one-arlington-building-prompt-potential-law-change/
> 
>   However thay do it, and it's likely they will, it will be very
> expensive for the drivers and the government. Perhaps a sealed GPS
> unit that broadcasts it's readings and functionality at lots of
> undisclosed locations and alarms "authorities" whenever a car passes
> that isn't functioning accurately. I'm sure it will still be regularly
> defeated.
> 
> --
> C'est bon
> Soloman

Of course we shall.
We're USA! That's how we roll!

-- 
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971