National Evaluation of a Mileage Based Road User Charge

National Evaluation of a Mileage-Based Road User Charge Questionnaire 6

PAPERWORK BURDEN DISCLOSURE NOTICE

This collection of information is voluntary, and will be used to assess your acceptance of the National Evaluation of a Mileage-Based Road User Charge. Public reporting burden for this questionnaire is estimated to average 30 minutes. The burden estimate includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Your responses will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. To further protect your privacy, the researchers have obtained a Certificate of Confidentiality from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This Certificate means that the researchers cannot be forced (for example by court subpoena) to disclose information that may identify you in any federal, state, or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or other proceeding. The OMB control number for this collection is 2125-XXXX (state OMB #). Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590.

The mileage-based road user charge approach could be used in many ways. We would like to know your views about the following.

1. When driven the same distance, how much should fuel-efficient vehicles be charged compared to vehicles that use more gas?

 The same amount

 About half as much

• No more than a quarter as much

2. Local governments should pay for streets and roads with a mileage charge instead of with property taxes.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

Continue to the next page

3. How much detail should be stored in the on-board computer and uploaded to the Billing and Dispersal Center? (Remember that less detail means less data about your travel is stored; more detail means you will have a clearer understanding of why you were charged what you were charged.)

 No detail—only the amount owed to each jurisdiction (i.e., state, county) in which travel has occurred

 Some detail—the miles traveled by jurisdiction and the amount of user charge due

• A lot of detail—the number of miles traveled within each jurisdiction by date and the amount due by jurisdiction for each date

Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

4. With road-user charge statements, a detailed breakdown of charges is more important than ensuring the highest level of privacy protection.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

5. Political leaders are likely to keep the gas tax and charge the mileage-based road user charge on top of it.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

6. Vehicles that burn a lot of gas should be charged higher mileage fees.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

7. Charging more for vehicles that pollute more would not improve peoples’ health in U.S. cities.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

Continue to the next page

8. I’m for charging a higher per-mile rate on roads that have a lot of traffic jams to encourage people to look for other ways to travel.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

9. In most states, vehicle registration fees are an important part of road finance. They generally are paid once a year and so have little relationship to how much one actually uses roads. Some say that we should lower them and rely on a mileage charge.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

10. Some say that mileage-based road user charges are fairer than tolls because everyone would pay the mileage charge no matter what road they are using.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

11. I don’t think state departments of transportation would use the money collected from a mileage-based road user charge wisely.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

12. Having an on-board computer that keeps track of how much you owe for using the roads is similar to having a meter on the side of your house that measures how much water or electricity you use.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

Continue to the next page

13. I worry that once everyone has an on-board computer, the government will want to use them to keep track of people’s movements.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

14. As I have learned about the mileage-based road user charge approach, I have come to believe that it is a fair way to collect funds to pay for our roads.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

15. Because it would be difficult to install the equipment needed for the mileage-based road user charge system in existing vehicles, it is best to approach the change from a gas tax to a road user charge gradually as old vehicles are replaced with new ones that already have the equipment installed.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

16. I think that if the amount of money raised by the gas tax goes down in the coming years, we should just spend less on roads.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

17. I am concerned about the deterioration of the nation’s road system.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

Continue to the next page

18. I believe the mileage-based road user charge system will credit me for any gas taxes that I pay, so that I will not pay twice for using roads.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

19. Having my current odometer reading to compare with that on my road-user charge statement gives me enough information to double check that my charges make sense.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

 Don’t know

20. One feature I like about the gas tax is that it is included in the price of a gallon of fuel.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree

For each of the following questions, please choose the statement that MOST accurately expresses your opinion.

21. How would you feel about paying for your use of the roads by getting and paying road-user charge statements like the ones you’ve received in the study?

• I think it would be a good thing

• I think it would be alright

• I wouldn’t like it or dislike it

• I would dislike it a little

• I would dislike it a lot

22. How do you feel about the idea of replacing the gas tax with a mileage-based road user fee?

 Very positive

 Somewhat positive

 Neither positive nor negative

 Somewhat negative

 Very negative

Continue to the next page

23. Currently road charges include gas taxes, registration fees, and tolls. If I had to choose between lower road charges with less well-maintained roads and higher charges with better maintained roads, I would pick:

 Much lower charges and much less maintenance

 A little lower charges and a little less maintenance

 Do not change road user charge levels or the amount of road maintenance

 A little higher charges and a little more maintenance

 Much higher charges and much more maintenance

24. Please include any other thoughts about the gas tax and/or the mileage-based road user charge.

25. Which of the following best describes your experience with the on-board equipment that was installed in your vehicle for this study?

• No problems

• A few minor problems

• Multiple minor problems

 Stopped working at least once

 Stopped working several times

26. Based on your experience in the study, how confident are you that the mileage-based charge system would work smoothly if it were put into effect at the state and federal level?

• Absolutely confident

• Quite confident

• Not so confident

• Not confident at all

• Don’t know

27. Which of the three types of road-user charge statements do you prefer?

 No detail (only the amount owed to each jurisdiction in which travel has occurred)

 Some detail (the miles traveled by jurisdiction and the amount of user charge due)

• A lot of detail (the number of miles traveled within each jurisdiction by date and the user charge due by jurisdiction for each date)

28. Please tell us why you liked the road-user charge statement that you did.

Continue to the next page

29. If you would end up paying the same whether we had a gas tax or a mileage-based road user tax, overall how comfortable would you be with the possibility of mileage-based road user charge system being widely adopted?’

 Absolutely comfortable

 Quite comfortable

 Somewhat comfortable

 Not so comfortable

 Not comfortable at all

• Don’t know

30. About how many miles did you drive the vehicle equipped with the on-board computer during the road user study?

• Less than 3,000

• Between 3,000 and 5,999

• Between 6,000 and 9,999

• Between 10,000 and 14,999

• More than 15,000

 Don’t know

31. About how many of those miles were driven more than 100 miles from where you live?

 Almost none

 Some but less than half

 More than half

 Almost all

• Don’t know

32. Do you think the number of miles you drove was different because you were in the study?

 Yes, drove a lot less

 Yes, drove a little less

 No, drove about the same

 Yes, drove a little more

 Yes, drove a lot more

• Don’t know

33. During the study, about how much of your driving was on major freeways and expressways?

• Less than one-quarter

• Between one-quarter and half

• Between half and three-quarters

• Almost all

34. How many of your trips combined several purposes (e.g., commuting, shopping, and picking up children in a single trip)?

 Less than one-quarter

 Between one-quarter and half

• Between half and three-quarters

• Almost all

Continue to the next page

35. How many miles do you get to a gallon of gas with your vehicle?

 Less than 8 miles per gallon

 About 9 to 15 miles per gallon

• About 16 to 22 miles per gallon

• About 23 to 30 miles per gallon

• More than 30 miles per gallon

36. Please rank the following in terms of how much you think they contribute to paying for local streets and roads (1 = biggest contributor and 4 = smallest contributor)

_____ Federal funds

_____ State funds

_____ Local property and sales taxes

_____ Land developer fees

_____ Don’t know

37. Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites cannot receive signals from vehicles with GPS receivers and so cannot track movements.

 Strongly agree

 Somewhat agree

 Neither agree nor disagree

 Somewhat disagree

 Strongly disagree

• Don’t know

38. How much do you think it would cost to put the on-board equipment for the mileage-based charge system in every vehicle coming off the assembly line?

 Under $30 (between $1 and $29.99)

• Between $30 and $49.99

• Between $50 and $74.99

• More than $75

• Don’t know

39. One of the issues with the gas tax is evasion, where fuel sold for off-road use, such as farming, is used in vehicles operating on public roads. How big of a problem do you think this is?

 Not a problem

 A small problem

 A big problem

 Don’t know

Continue to the next page

VERY IMPORTANT

Please provide your participant ID number below to ensure that you receive your compensation payment promptly. Also if you have not scheduled an appointment to have the on-board computer removed from your vehicle please do so TODAY! For assistance please call 866-363-1975.

PARTICIPANT ID # ___________________________________________________________

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

Please return your questionnaire in the enclosed envelope to:

The University of Iowa

Public Policy Center

227 South Quad

Iowa City, IA 52242-1192

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