The test coming next year for Gov. Tina Kotek, legislators and you and me is what to do about Oregon transportation.

It’s likely going to take changing minds. It’s likely going to take making the unpopular more popular. It’s likely going to create less happy Oregonians.

On some level, we all surely know there is a problem with the gas tax. Cars are more efficient or use no gas at all. For a transportation system whose maintenance and operations is based on gas tax revenue, that is a problem.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has been saying for some time now that the state needs to diversify its transportation revenue. The Oregon Transportation Plan spells out that there is a need to “ultimately shift” to a fee that charges people by the mile.

It’s easy to be captious about making that shift. A gas tax is familiar. Oregon was the first of any state to have one. The state tax is at 40 cents a gallon these days. And if the state does raise the gas tax, that may drive more people to look into a hybrid or an electric vehicle — which wouldn’t be a long-term solution to the problems of revenues from a gas tax.

Despite knowing that a gas tax may be flawed, how many Oregonians have made the switch to Oregon’s OReGO program?

That’s the voluntary program where you pay by the mile. It seems fair. It might be cheaper for some people. Participants get a bit of a discount on vehicle registration fees. But it is a hassle to make the switch. And if you have a gasoline-powered vehicle, you will pay a gas tax and then may get refunded later.

Sound appealing? Somewhat.

A state website says 2,100 vehicles are enrolled. When we called to confirm that, we were told it was 678 vehicles.

Humans don’t like change or changing their minds. People can also be suspicious about the government’s motives. They can be suspicious that a change won’t work. The state found in a survey from 2016 that there is a concern that a pay-by-mile fee won’t be as fair for rural drivers. That same survey found that many Oregonians do think a pay-by-the-mile fee is fair.

We know people confronted with a switch may question if ODOT already spends its money efficiently on operations and maintenance. A new, independent state audit looking at that might help.

But more importantly, if Oregon government is saying Oregonians need to make this change, why not sweeten the deal so Oregonians want it? Or at least make a more noticeable statewide effort to market it?

It’s either that or government can do what it often does and compel people to switch by force of law.