The Oregonian
If you think that sleepy Ted's idea of California emissions controls in Oregon is crazy, then how about a device in your car that reports if you're emissions are not within tolerance, notifies you by e-mail and gives you 45 days to fix it?
Well kiddies, this is what is cooking at the DEQ.
$39, you get a gizmo that mounts underneath your dash, send your cars vital emissions data straight to the state and forever frees you from the hassles that every driver in Portland and Medford must face when they renew their vehicle registration.
"I don't care where they've been or how fast they're driving," assures Ted Kotsakis, head of the state Vehicle Inspection Program, who's leading development of the new system.
What it will do is keep the air cleaner by catching smog-belching cars right away, instead of waiting as much as two years until they show up for inspection.
The unit, slightly larger than a Matchbox, plugs into the car and collects details about the emission system. When it's time to renew their registration, drivers can hook the unit to a home computer and send the details to DEQ online. or they can allow the device to transmit its measurements to DEQ receivers placed at intersections. The equivalent of driving through a wireless Internet "hotspot."
The system is voluntary, [for now] and drivers who have these installed in their vehicles will be allowed to renew their registration online or at the DMV office.
However, let us not also forget about the other wonderful little device that they would like to stick in our cars... the GPS system for collecting the road mileage tax.
Straight from the office of innovative partnerships and alternative funding...
Coming to a gas pump near you,
ODOT Presents... (Insert fanfare)
R.U.F.T.F.
(Road User Feed Task Force)
RUFTF and ODOT have further refine the Oregon mileage fee concept.
Are you tired of those outdated means of paying your road tax by the gallon, well fear not. We have a new system for you.
Thanks to the RUFTF team, your road tax will no longer be based on the amount of gallons that your car uses, it will now be based on where and when you travel.
Don't have the cash on hand to pay the toll at the new toll bridges, not to worry, the RUFTF team has an answer for that one too. Just pay it at your next fill up.
But what about traveling outside of the state? Won't I be paying Oregon per mile tax if I drive in California and then return?
No, you will only be paying their per mile tax that you drive in Oregon. Other states of course will have their own system and rates per mile that you will pay when you buy gas in those states.
However, how will I know how much that I am paying? The system includes an in vehicle mileage information display. The system will display the current miles traveled and the current pricing of the zone of travel. E.g. basic mileage rate in Oregon i.e. 1.25 cents per mile; a peak pricing rate for driving in the congestion zones during peak periods of congestion.
Concerned that the fees are too broad, fear not, the enhanced device capabilities will ultimately allow creation of the find smaller zones within urban areas to facilitate precision in designing congestion pricing strategies.
Motorists satisfaction guaranteed! Technology enhancements will allow greater motorists satisfaction with the technology for the mileage fee by creating a "user-friendly" system.
Moreover, best of all, when it comes time to pay the tax, the sensitivity of the vehicle positioning will not be a significant issue when you pull into the pump to fill up.
Okay, all kidding aside. You can view the 2003 -- 2004 report on RUFTF at this (link)
GPS systems in your car to collect a VARIABLE per mile road tax.
the DEQ's system that will tell on you if your car hiccups. Which can happen for a number of reasons, e.g. bad gas, bad or loose plug wires, etc. forcing you to repair your car within 45 days whether it needs it or not.
Oh yes, and don't forget about the little black box or Event Data Recorder (EDR) similar to an airline's Black box that is already showing up in well over half the 2004 model production passenger and light vehicles.. (link)
These black boxes record whether or not you are wearing a seatbelt, throttle position and brake usage just to name a few.
Got to love technology.
No comments:
Post a Comment