Comments on: There’s No Such Thing as a Freeway http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/06/03/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-freeway/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:29:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Bryan Willman http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/06/03/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-freeway/#comment-7644 Bryan Willman Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:42:30 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=919#comment-7644 It's not free and never has been. It's paid for by property taxes, income taxes, various taxes on cars and fuels. Arguing that roads should be paid for entirely by the mile traveled assumes (wrongly) that all or even most of the benefit of the roads goes to the traveller, rather than to wherever the traveller is going. Alternatives have the same issue - it's rare (never?) that fares pay for mass transit, or ferries. And certainly never pay for sidewalks. This whole line of "highways are free, make people pay!" is nonsense... They'ver already paid once... It’s not free and never has been. It’s paid for by property taxes, income taxes, various taxes on cars and fuels. Arguing that roads should be paid for entirely by the mile traveled assumes (wrongly) that all or even most of the benefit of the roads goes to the traveller, rather than to wherever the traveller is going.

Alternatives have the same issue - it’s rare (never?) that fares pay for mass transit, or ferries. And certainly never pay for sidewalks.

This whole line of “highways are free, make people pay!” is nonsense… They’ver already paid once…

]]> By: azbikelaw http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/06/03/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-freeway/#comment-7588 azbikelaw Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:04:33 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=919#comment-7588 Speaking of freeways, that reminds me of another "free" thing -- free parking. http://azbikelaw.org/blog/high-cost-of-free-parking/ In some ways, it's not the roads that enable the SOV (single occupant vehicle)/ sprawl lifestyle -- it's the parking! Speaking of freeways, that reminds me of another “free” thing — free parking.
http://azbikelaw.org/blog/high-cost-of-free-parking/

In some ways, it’s not the roads that enable the SOV (single occupant vehicle)/ sprawl lifestyle — it’s the parking!

]]> By: Brent http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/06/03/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-freeway/#comment-7570 Brent Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:26:09 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=919#comment-7570 ...mainly because the state has failed to provide us with real alternatives to driving. Congestion pricing works -- just ask London -- but it's not fair when you've got no other way to get around. Give us a decent rail system, and then put in congestion pricing up the wazoo. …mainly because the state has failed to provide us with real alternatives to driving. Congestion pricing works — just ask London — but it’s not fair when you’ve got no other way to get around. Give us a decent rail system, and then put in congestion pricing up the wazoo.

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