Monday, December 29, 2008

Oregon Govt. to GPS monitor all cars?

A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads — via a mileage tax and satellite technology — could work.

Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he’d like the legislature to take the next step.

As part of a transportation-related bill he has filed for the 2009 legislative session, the governor says he plans to recommend “a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.” ... “The concept requires no transmission of vehicle travel locations, either in real time or of travel history,” the report said. “Accordingly, no travel location points are stored within the vehicle or transmitted elsewhere. Thus there can be no ‘tracking’ of vehicle movements.”

Also, the report said, under the Oregon concept of the program, “ODOT would have no involvement in developing the on-vehicle devices, installing them in vehicles, maintaining them or having any other access to them except, perhaps, in situations involving tampering or similar fee evasion activities.”

Equipment for the Oregon test was developed at Oregon State University...  - gtimes

They say they don't monitor locations or where you drive, but how would anyone verify that?  Here is an example of one GPS tracking device which seems to show exactly where you went and when.

gps_tracking_device_gps500_4

2 comments:

Pete the Drum Scientist said...

Xeno-
Way too costly right now for Oregon. Now for my three boys when they start driving? You bet I am. They are all getting rebuilt, 90 hp, 1960's VW buses secretly equipped with tracking devices (I won't have to worry about drag racing)

abraineatingzombie said...

the road to communism...
this is totally ridiculous and absurd.
“a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.” why? whats wrong with fuel taxing? this is simply another way for the government to put their dirty fingers in the peoples pockets. Pin citizens with one more tax to pay. Communists!