CitiesGoGreen - February 2009 - (Page 6) In Motion Phasing Out the Gas Tax? In 2001, Oregon policymakers looked at electric and other alternative fuel vehicles and had a vision of the future: gas taxes would have to be replaced. The Road User Fee Pilot Program (pdf ) settled on chargOregon Governor Kulongoski ing for miles traveled, and First Dog Hershey. which they road tested and deemed entirely practical. Gas pumps detect an onboard GPS and charge for mileage rather than gas purchased. Both tax systems coexist, charging out-of-state and older vehicles by the gallon, yet the new system, with GPS units to be built into new cars, allows for congestion pricing, higher or lower rates depending on vehicle weight and other finetuning. Privacy is a major concern being addressed. Several other states are interested, and a coalition of states or federal help may be necessary, but looming shortfalls provide an incentive. Oregon Governor Kulongoski has introduced legislation (pdf ) to pursue this program (along with several others) aimed at adapting the state’s transportation policies to the realities of vehicle evolution and climate change. Carless in Chicago Chicago residents can now use the public transit system and I-GO’s fleet of 200 fuel-efficient car-share vehicles with one card and one plan. Both the Chicago Transit Authority and I-GO offer passes, but the combined Chicago Card Plus/I-GO card makes getting around without a personal vehicle seamless. Participants tailor plans to fit their needs, and the cards simply have two chips to track usage in the different systems. Gas and insurance (members would never pay more than $500 for an accident) are included. With cars in 30 neighborhoods, often near train stations and bus routes, freedom from car ownership takes another step forward. NACo’s Green Government Initiative The National Association of Counties (NACo) has a convenient list of useful ways to lessen environmental impacts at work, at home and even during elections, with concise information about how and why each is useful. This is part of NACo’s much larger Green Government Initiative. One aim of the Initiative is to “Reverse misinformed opinions that green techniques are too costly or of lesser quality,” through fact sheets, free webinars, a newsletter, events, and a database of hundreds of sample policies, resolutions, plans and so on, broken out by county population size. The audience is county governments, of course, but there’s much to learn for people in any kind of local government. Visualize Smart Growth What does smart growth look like? After a year of preparation by Urban Advantage, an imaging company, 70 scenarios from across the US are available online at the Natural Resources Defense Council website. Click a location on the map and a slide show demonstrates the transformation possible. Stageby-stage, the bleak present-day scene gains trees, transit, bike lanes, sidewalks, houses, mixed-use buildings and other elements and a lovely, lively streetscape or neighborhood emerges. These Cinderella scenarios are a great way to stock the imagination with possibilities for envisioning changes in one’s own area. They also demonstrate a growth direction different from uncontrolled sprawl, which consumes existing landscape and spreads a consumptive lifestyle ever further at a rate of 365 acres an hour. Photo © istockphoto.com/Tom Wald 6 February/March 2009 http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/february-2009/in-motion/phasing-out-the-gas-tax http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/february-2009/in-motion/phasing-out-the-gas-tax http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/RUFPP/docs/RUFPP_finalreport.pdf http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/RUFPP/docs/RUFPP_finalreport.pdf http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/february-2009/in-motion/carless-in-chicago http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gas-tax4-2009jan04,0,4080617.story http://www.igocars.org/chicago_card_plus http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/docs/jobs_transp_act_2009_v2.pdf http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/community/1aaa02_road.txt http://www.naco.org http://www.naco.org/GreenTemplate.cfm?Section=Green_Government_Database&Template=/cffiles/ggi/gogreen.cfm http://www.naco.org/Content/NavigationMenu/County_Resource_Center/New_Technical_Assistance/Green_Government_Initiative1/Green_Government_Initiative.htm http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/february-2009/in-motion/visualize-smart-growth http://www.urban-advantage.com/ http://www.nrdc.org/smartGrowth/visions/default.asp http://www.nrdc.org/ http://www.nrdc.org/ http://www.CitiesGoGreen.com
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