Manage episode 512694153 series 2920850
With Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget agreement now signed into law, this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast focuses on a long-discussed pilot project for a road usage charge (RUC) system, which received funding.
First, State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt of Eastpointe, who chairs the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and has been a strong advocate for studying alternative ways to fund transportation, explains why she advocated for the RUC pilot.
Later, John Peracchio, a senior adviser to Michigan’s Council on Future Mobility and Electrification (CFME), offers his insights on how a RUC system has worked in other states and how the council can help with the education process.
Chapters
1. Michigan budget has good news for studying road usage charges (00:00:00)
2. Setting the Stage: Michigan’s RUC Pilot (00:00:07)
3. Senator Kleinfeld’s Path and Perspective (00:01:03)
4. Funding Realities and Equity Rationale (00:02:39)
5. Privacy Fears and Replacing the Gas Tax (00:05:11)
6. Tolling vs. RUC: Scope and Politics (00:08:19)
7. Work Zone Safety PSA (00:11:42)
8. Education, Equity, and Public Trust (00:11:48)
9. Industry Shifts and Fuel Tax Decline (00:12:18)
10. Designing Equitable RUC Rates (00:14:20)
11. Lessons from Other States and IBTTA (00:16:14)
12. Tech Options: Odometers, Phones, and GPS (00:18:24)
13. Light Infrastructure, Better Experience (00:21:35)
14. Automakers’ Role and Seamless Enrollment (00:23:03)
15. Depoliticizing Funding and Price Transparency (00:24:22)
16. Public Education as the Deciding Factor (00:26:19)
17. Closing Thanks and Credits (00:27:47)
249 episodes