Illinois State Senate President John Cullerton released a infrastructure funding plan earlier this month that includes a proposal for a vehicle miles traveled tax.
"A new proposal to pay for fixing Illinois' roads could use devices to track how far Illinois drivers have traveled and tax them by the mile," reports Mike Riopell. Riopell explains how the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax, as such a scheme is called, would work. The current proposal would allow drivers two options for taxing their VMT, with provisions made for privacy concerns.
Also important is the why of the proposal. According to Riopell, the "plan from Senate President John Cullerton…is aimed at gasoline tax revenues that have fallen as drivers have bought more fuel-efficient cars.
In a separate article, John Greenfield reports on the political context for the proposal, which follows a report released by the Metropolitan Planning Council earlier this month about the state's $43 billion needs in transportation infrastructure spending. Greenfield also reports that the path to approval for the current bill is potentially too ambitious for a short timeline. Ryan Griffith-Stegink, spokesperson for the Metropilitan Planning Council is cited in the article predicting that the VMT tax will take three to five years to implement, if at all.
Yet another article by Natalie Martinez includes a television report on the news of the proposal.
FULL STORY: Tax Illinois drivers by the mile?
Connecticut Among States Competing for Federal Grants to Study Mileage Fees
Connecticut state legislators may not like vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fees, but that hasn't stopped the state Department of Transportation from joining other states in applying for $2.1 million from the U.S. DOT to study the road user fee.
Can State Lawmakers Make the Case for Road Charges?
More state legislatures are considering fees based on vehicle miles traveled as a replacement for declining gas tax revenues.
California Poised to Lose Up to $4 Billion in Gas Tax Revenue
States must find other ways to fund transportation projects as the transportation sector moves toward decarbonization.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.
Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.
Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie