Follow That Car!

Congestion pricing is a smart way to make traffic flows more efficient while allocating the costs of road maintenance fairly.

But CNET's Declan McCullagh writes that, while there are models of congestion pricing that would preserve privacy, the Department of Transportation is pushing a GPS-based model that would allow constant tracking of vehicles.

Comments

[Russ D]

And think of the speeding ticket revenue!

[David]

Of course they are, it will more be costly for consumers (who'll have to pay for it either when registering the car,or buy buying the chips directly), and it will give police departmnents another tool to track criminals. I wonder if they'll also be able to remote-disable cars of deliquent taxpayers/scofflaws, and fleeing suspects?

I particularly love the part about the chips being intergrated into the engine so that tampering with it will rendaer the vehivle undrivable. As someone whose had various engine sensors fail over the years, I'm thrilled by the prospect of having my car stop working during rush hour traffic in the cellular dead zone by my office.

[Ruthless]

Russ D,
And the traffic light running revenue!

[Viking "Inspector Closeau" Moo]

"Does your dog bite?"

Ruthless: it's a way of "incentivizing" people to use public transportation. Dammit. WE MUST ACT NOW!

🙂

[Ruthless]

"Ruthless: it's a way of "incentivizing" people to use public transportation."

Vike,
I walk back and forth to work... and not only that, I JAYWALK about once per block.
How long before the Feds get wind of that?!

[Asshole Government Apologist]

The Constitution does not give anybody the right to drive a car without the government knowing where it is at all times.

[Anonnymouse]

AGA--are you sure you're not Joe?

[Anonnymouse]

AGA--are you sure you're not Joe?

[Viking Moose]

Ruthless:

then they'll put up gates to herd people where they should walk.

After all, it's done like that (in some places) in western europe. ergo. it's better there.

AGA:

ha ha!!! bohahahahahahahahahaha.

and then we can offer that Jennifer a job as director at the Evil Petting Zoo bohahahahaha!

finally we deport the server. this is being typed at 3:24 CST. will see when it gets posted.

(incidently, this time zone kicks ass for TV)

[mk]

I JAYWALK

Wow. You really are an anarchist. 🙂

[Jennifer]

and then we can offer that Jennifer a job as director at the Evil Petting Zoo bohahahahaha!

What kind of salary and benefits are we talking about, here?

[bad bad Ruthless]

Jennifer,
First you'd have to declare what gets petted.

[Ruthless]

mk,
Yes, I jaywalk the jaywalk.

[Russ D]

How long before the Feds get wind of that?!

Next up, GPS devices on tinfoil hats.

[Ruthless]

"Next up, GPS devices on tinfoil hats."

How 'bout a tinfoil hat that looks like a GPS device? There'd be a huge market as it would remove the stigma.

[R C Dean]

I walk back and forth to work... and not only that, I JAYWALK about once per block.
How long before the Feds get wind of that?!

Since the shoes you are wearing to jaywalk undoubtedly crossed state lines on their way to your feet, most would agree that federal regulation of jaywalking is a legitimate exercise of the interstate commerce power.

[JD]

And remember, even if your shoes didn't cross state lines, that just means you bought them instead of some other shoes that would have, so you're still affecting interstate commerce. Even if you made them yourself, that means you're affecting the market in shoes, which is an interstate one. Even if you don't wear shoes, that means you're affecting interstate commerce by withholding your money. Hey, this "Supreme Court" stuff is easy!

[JiggleBilly]

just think, with this technology, parents can make sure their kids aren't going to an anti-jesus heavy metal concert. husbands can make sure wives really ARE going to the gym. the FBI will finally be able to monitor the moooslims in this country, and the mexicans too!!!

this will be a business boom like we have never seen before, allowing a frightened, paranoid, nosey, over-reacting, bloated, and stale government watch everything you do. i think it is brilliant, invest in this company, for you will be rich.