Road Usage Charges and winter driving: What WA drivers should be prepared for
Dec 10, 2024, 5:43 AM | Updated: 8:25 am
Crews remove snow along Stevens Pass U.S. Highway 2 in 2022. (Photo courtesy of WSDOT)
(Photo courtesy of WSDOT)
I went over the Road Usage Charge, or the pay-by-mile system, last week.
It’s the plan to replace the gas tax with a flat 2.4 cents per mile driven. It pencils out to be about revenue neutral for the driver. 2.4 cents a mile is what the average Washington driver pays in gas tax right now.
More on the pay-per-mile system: Will 2025 be the year of pay-by-mile?
The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) has been studying this idea for 12 years, and the reason is simple. As cars continue to get better gas mileage and a larger number of electric vehicles enter service, the state gas tax just doesn’t go as far as it used to.
Why is the depleting gas tax important?
The latest transportation revenue forecast makes it clear. The budget gap is only getting wider. The latest forecast shows another loss of $75 million through June. Then, another $94 million lost between 2025 and 2027.
The Urbanist recently reported that the total transportation budget gap is more than $3 billion through 2031.
How does this tie to the Road Usage Charge? 47% of the transportation budget comes from the current gas tax, and the gas tax is just not keeping up with the needs. Over the next 10 years, the gas tax is expected to come in $480 million light. The gap is only getting bigger.
Something more stable needs to be found, and the Road Usage Charge shows the most promise.
Sloppy winter driving
We’ve seen a few pass closures already this season. It’s a good reminder to go over the rules, again, considering what we are seeing in enforcement from the Washington State Patrol (WSP).
During the weekend snow over Snoqualmie Pass, troopers met with 36 drivers and cited 16 of them for violations — five for failing to carry chains. Big rigs need to have them all the time, now through April.
Eleven other drivers were ticketed for failing to chain up when chains were required. Truck drivers can be fined and sent back down the mountain if they aren’t carrying chains.
Failing to chain up can cost you $500.
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And remember, Tina Werner, a communications specialist for WSDOT, said most of the pass closures are caused by bad driver behavior.
“Many of our road closures and mountain pass closures, for example, are a result of people that are traveling unprepared, and that can also look like people driving too fast for conditions or failing to chain up and follow chain up requirements by the Washington State Patrol,” she said.
It only takes one vehicle losing traction to create a cascading event of spin-outs and accidents and potentially a closure.
Chris Sullivan covers transportation for KIRO Newsradio. Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints.
