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By Jesse Hermans, cross-posted from Prosper Australia
Until recently, no government had a “cogent plan” to deal with impending combustion of Commonwealth fuel excise revenue. But now Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has risen to the challenge both to future proof Victoria’s road charging regime, and make Zero and Low Emissions Vehicles (ZLEVs) a more affordable choice for drivers.
Public roads require significant amounts of land and maintenance. Supplying road space to meet demand is increasingly inefficient in our urban areas, and comes at a high cost relative to alternatives such as public transport. Distanced based, and dynamic demand based (congestion) road-user charging have long been advocated for by economists, transport planners, and infrastructure bodies.