Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Residents to Test Drive Gas Tax Alternative

WHAT: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have been selected as one of six national sites to help field test an alternative to the fuel tax. Florida International University’s Lehman Center for Transportation Research will host a news conference to announce the launch of the study, which is being conducted by the Public Policy Center of the University of Iowa.  The event will include a demonstration of the on-board vehicle technology to be used in the study.

The study will evaluate a mileage–based approach to funding repairs and construction of national highways and bridges. The current gas tax for Florida is 51 cents per gallon. As cars and trucks become more fuel efficient and people drive hybrids and electric cars, this gas-based funding source will shrink, so alternatives are being tested. A campaign to recruit field test participants will begin July 27. Participants will be paid $895 for completing the study. 

WHO: Study Co-Director Paul Hanley, who heads the Transportation Research Center at the Public Policy Center of the University of Iowa, will talk about the purpose of the study and its use in shaping the future of U.S. transportation funding.  Tom Gustafson, Director of Government and Transportation Policy for the Lehman Center for Transportation Research at Florida International University, will also make remarks.

WHEN: A news conference will be held on Wednesday, July 22 at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Room C-1115 at FIU’s  Engineering Center,  10555 West Flagler Street, Miami, located on the corner of Flagler Street and Southwest 107^th Avenue. (google map).

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.roaduserstudy.org.

-FIU- 

About LCTR:
The Lehman Center for Transportation Research (LCTR) is committed to conducting research and training to improve traffic mobility and safety, and is the only one of its kind in South Florida. LCTR was established in 1993 with the support of the late Congressman William Lehman. Over the last sixteen years, the center has served as the major resource for providing solutions to transportation challenges in South Florida.

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University” and now qualifies as a “Very High Research University”.  In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in August 2009. FIU’s College of Law received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.