 ccrp poll pay by the miles to pay for roads   new poll overview michigan could solve its road funding problems by being one of the first states in the nation to move to a system where motorists pay a fee based on the number of miles they drive according to a university of michigan report to be released today the michigan environmental council by sustainable mobility accessibility research transformation smart at um says fuel consumption is declining as traditional vehicles become more efficient and electric vehicles more common together those trends are making road funding models based on fuel taxes obsolete the report says the report says instead of continuing to raise fuel taxes to pay for transportation infrastructure a mileage fee could more fairly allocate costs based on the number of miles driven the time of day the route taken and the weight of the vehicle several states and public institutions are studying the potential for a mileage fee policy including texas minnesota florida wisconsin and nevada there s also a legislative proposal in california distancebased user charges are already in place for trucks in germany austria switzerland and the czech republic opponents of the plan worry about the big brother aspect of the state keeping tabs on drivers the michigan environmental council said privacy concerns are the no 1 big hurdle but one that he thinks can be overcome heavier vehicles would pay more and one possible plan would charge more for driving heavily congested roads at peak times and offer a discounted permile rate during offpeak times jeff cranson a spokesman for the michigan department of transportation said the agency isn t advocating for such a system but we think it s good to have a discussion about the possibilities as other states study the concept michigan is grappling with what experts say is a road and bridge funding shortfall of between 12 billion and 2 billion a year as a leader in transportation technology and innovation michigan has an opportunity to lead the nation in transforming the currently outdated transportation funding mechanisms to one that is more fair sustainable and selfsufficient new poll question should michigan go to a pay per miles driven fee instead of a fuel tax to pay for roads and road repairs yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichigango e2809cpaymilesdriven e2809dfeeinsteadfueltaxpayroadsandroadrepairs  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question the final vote totals for this poll have been changed after duplicate votes were removed what amphibian should be named as michigan rsquo s official state amphibian the northern spring peeper 6 the blanchard s cricket frog 0 the eastern gray tree frog 37 this is why we need a part time legislature 47 undecided 10 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 state amphibian spring peeper i love the way they keep me awake comment 2 this is important there is absolutely nothing i think is more important than making the eastern gray tree frog the official state amphibian absolutely nothing thanks for highlighting this critical issue by running this poll   all emails addresses  