The True Costs of Driving

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Justin7

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The True Costs of Driving
Car owners don’t come close to covering the price of maintaining the roads they use.

A report published earlier this year confirms, in tremendous detail, a very basic fact of transportation that’s widely disbelieved: Drivers don’t come close to paying for the costs of the roads they use. Published jointly by the Frontier Group and the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, “Who Pays for Roads?” exposes the myth that drivers are covering what they’re using.

The report documents that the amount that road users pay through gas taxes now accounts for less than half of what’s spent to maintain and expand the road system. The resulting shortfall is made up from other sources of tax revenue at the state and local levels, generated by drivers and non-drivers alike. This subsidizing of car ownership costs the typical household about $1,100 per year—over and above the costs of gas taxes, tolls, and other user fees.

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http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/driving-true-costs/412237/

(Sorry, wasn't sure what thread to post this in.)
 
Justin7 said:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/driving-true-costs/412237/

(Sorry, wasn't sure what thread to post this in.)
Click to expand...

the amount that road users pay through gas taxes now accounts for less than half of what’s spent to maintain and expand the road system
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justin -- that statement is like saying that moonlight is not quite as good as sunlight at heating basking muskrats

Yes that is true but it really contributes nothing to the discussion

Outside of roads built by philanthropists some combination of gasoline taxes, road use fees, excise taxes, and other revenues collected by local, state and federal treasuries pay for the construction and maintenance of the roads

The real point is that that same combination plus direct fares also pays for transit operations, maintenance and expansion with some of the funds diverted to biking amenities and sidewalks for pedestrians, etc.

Only the Net Transfer of funds from Car Drivers to facilities and operations which also benefit the non-car driving T-users, walkers and bikers is relevant --- and there is no question which direction the arrow points

There just are a whole lot more taxpayers who drive [and may or may not take the T & perhaps bike and walk] than there are taxpayers who don't drive but take the T & /or perhaps bike and / or walk


In Mathematical form

Sum of Transportation related Funds collected from Car Drivers & others - Total Cost of things that only benefit car drivers [i.e. highway construction and maintenance] >> 0

Sum of Transportation related Funds collected from Non-Car Drivers - Total Cost of things that only benefit non-car drivers [i.e. T operation & construction & maintenance & pedestrian and biking facility construction and maintenance] << 0

it is however less than clear-cut how to fully allocate costs versus sources of funds associated with local roads and bridges which can be used by private cars, Uber, pedestrians and bikes
 
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