Fuel-Efficient Cars Dent States' Road Budgets

[The2ndWheel]

The article is worth reading just for the name of one of the people interviewed.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117745992219081291-vYEQjYsbq2E59MFFiJABUaFBleY_20070524.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

Cars and trucks are getting more fuel-efficient, and that's good news for drivers. But it's a headache for state highway officials, who depend on gasoline taxes to build and maintain roads.

The Federal Highway Administration estimates that by 2009 the tax receipts that make up most of the federal highway trust fund will be $21 billion shy of what's needed just to maintain existing roads, much less build new roads or add capacity. Trying to compensate for highway-budget shortfalls, a handful of states are exploring other, potentially more lucrative ways to raise highway money.

"In 10 years, we are going to be in an intolerable financial position, and we need to start fixing it now before the problem starts," says James Whitty, manager of an alternative funding project in the Oregon transportation department.

[MADem]

1. Why not try using that road material made of OLD TIRES? It lasts LONGER.

One type costs more than the other, but both are a good deal in terms of road durability AND the recycling aspect.

The county found that RAC has a number of advantages over traditional asphalt concrete:

Cost-effectiveness.
Longevity.
Increased skid resistance.
Decreases in road noise (50-80 percent).
Lower maintenance requirements.
Better color contrast for striping.
Although REAS is more expensive per lane mile, it also provides a number of benefits:

High skid resistance.
Long-lasting color contrast for striping.
Extension of the roadway’s life span.
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/lglibrary/innovations/Tires/CaseStudies.htm

[Kokonoe]

3. Lower maintenance requirements may be your answer.

:evilgrin:

[skids]

10. It also causes gas mileage to drop.

...not that that makes recycled tire pavement a bad idea, but it's a tradeoff...

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309094216&page=47

[lonestarnot]

2. They make up for it in license renewal!

[One_Life_To_Give]

4. Hard to believe

We have another thread posted half an hour apart. Which cites that the Corporate fleet averages for 2006 are actually a little less fuel efficient that previously. Now we all hope the case will be that this could become a problem. But if they are already hurting for funds to spend on road maintenance well it's likely some other cause.

[Howzit]

5. Depends on the denominator

Average fleet fuel economy is a measure of the vehicles that are offered for sale, or that are in fact sold?

It is surely possible for a car company to make two vehicles; one that is rated at 10 MPG and one at 40 MPG. The average fleet economy for that car company would be 25 MPG. Surely this mattter less than how many of the 10 MPG vehicles sold compared to the 40 MPG vehicles sold?

Company A may build many 15 and 20 MPG models, but only one 35 MPG model. Company B builds only 35 and 50 MPG models, but company A sells more 30 MPG models that all others vehicles combined by a factor of 20 to 1. Which company has the higher fleet economy rating?

Or do I miss-understand fleet economy standards?

[One_Life_To_Give]

12. Measure of Vehicals Sold

My understanding is it's what has actually been sold.
Sell 9 of model X that get 10MPG and 1 of model Y that gets 100MPG. The Corporate average is 19MPG not 50.

Now it is possible that Oregon is much more environmentally concience than other states. And hence has a much higher fuel economy average of vehicals driven on the road compared to other states. But I doub't it comes close to generating the income shortfall the article would have us believe.

[tinrobot]

6. Aren't fuel efficient cars easier on the roads?

What's harder on a road - a Prius or a Hummer?

The Hummer should pay more.

[Kolesar]

7. High materials costs and high construction costs are what is hurting the highway budgets

Leave it to the Wall Street Journal to twist it into a message critical of small cars.

[NNadir]

8. The automobile, a distributed energy system, is the most highly subsidized

device in the world.

If governments stopped subsidizing it, this pernicious system of automobiles and trucks would rapidly decline, if not disappear.

[Vogon_Glory]

9. In The Long Run, Ugly Consequences

I suspect that as time goes on and far fewer autos guzzle gasoline and diesel like it's going out of style and the deterioration of the US highway infrasructure continues, I suspect that state governments are going to have to raise automobile and truck registration fees to pay for highway budgets.

[BeFree]

11. There's the secret

Why doesn't OUR government outlaw gas guzzlers? Because the decreased tax-flow would cripple all the big spending plans.

Power; money flowing through their hands means power.

Reduce the income from gas taxes and you reduce the money flowing through government coffers leading to a reduction in political power.

It is why solar is not subsidized like everything else: there's no power over the sun, and no cash flow through the politician's hands.