Assessment of Public Perception of User Based Fees and Tolls to Finance Transportation Infrastructure Improvements

With aging infrastructure and declining tax revenues new mechanisms of financing transportation alternatives are of increasing interest to researchers as well as practitioners. Transportation projects, such as highway construction etc., are primarily financed through fuel taxes, which constitute a form of user fees. Improved fuel economy is likely to erode the revenue stream from the gas tax. California has historically been a leader in mandating technological improvements in transportation, which means that fuel-based revenue stream(s) may be negatively impacted, making it even more difficult to fund California's infrastructure. Such proposed revenue generation measures as: (a) raising the fuel tax rate to make up for declining fuel tax revenues and (b) imposing other user-based fees including tax based on vehicle-mile traveled are not considered politically viable (Dill & Weinstein, 2007). Another of the approaches towards increasing revenues is user based fees collected through tolls directed at specific infrastructure projects. It could help overcome the widening gulf between available funding and needed improvements.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $49995.00
• Contract Numbers:

  2009-NBG-1056

  GT10147

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Department of Transportation
  1200 New Jersey Avneue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  California Department of Transportation

  1227 O Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95843
• Project Managers:

  Thornton, Rusty

• Performing Organizations:

  California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

  California Polytehcnic State Univeristy
  San Luis Obispo, CA  United States  93407
• Principal Investigators:

  Pande, Anrug

• Start Date: 20100101
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20101231
• Source Data: RiP Project 24534

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Distance based fares; Financial analysis; Fuel taxes; Operating revenues; Research projects; User charges
• Uncontrolled Terms: Aging infrastructure; Transportation infrastructure
• Subject Areas: Finance;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01461780
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Leonard Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 2009-NBG-1056, GT10147
• Files: UTC, RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 1:52PM