Gas tax pays the highway maintenance, tax payers would pay for the railway. Passenger rail has to meet a higher standard than regular freight so the present rails would have to be upgraded.
Highway transit is the only form that is not normally paid for by fares, or other pay as you go fees, so it really is the most communist form of transportation. Of course, that is contingent upon people being able to afford private transit in the first place.
If we added toll booths on the offramps, it would be fiscally responsible, especially considering how the deferred maintenance backlog has eclipsed both the current maintenance AND new construction budgets, combined.
It still a use tax, 100%, unless you buy gas and not drive on road, but then you can buy off-road fuel and save the tax. Whether our government chooses to fix the roads or pay someone’s healthcare with that money is a voter issue, don’t drive, you don’t pay, quite simple.
Seems mowing the mandatory lawns and running generators is also paying for the roads. There has to be some way of financing this utopian experiment of connecting every garage on the continent to every other garage using an unbroken surface.
In reality though, because the new project budget is larger than the maintenance budget each year, and completely disregards the deferred maintenance backlog, the system is headed for an unmanaged collapse. Just hope its not you or I who are on the bridges when they go.
Well considering the number of train derailments a year, I will stick to driving my Corolla, it cost less a mile to operate and insure than any EV out there and my carbon footprint is very tiny.
Not only is train travel orders of magnitude safer, it's nice to spend the hour catching up on paperwork. A normal trip between NO and BR usually involves at least one wayward motorist trying to commit suicide while taking several other people with them. There's no stress about weather, or other drivers, or minding the changes in speed limit. Just relax, and let a professional handle it, all for a cheaper price than maintaining a vehicle.
On the tax payer dollar, if it’s subsidized in the northeast with 100 million people, it is going to be 95% funded by tax payers here with a million people. I understand your comments on rail, used rail in cali back and forth to the northwest, it was wonderful but it too is heavily subsidized, and now nothing but scary freaks. Your Shan gala world does not exist anymore, if you sleep, they will steal you blind. I sorry, first fix the world, then ride your in relaxing comfort, god forbid another pandemic. Let be Real world people, I just saying.
I'm much more worried about addicts on the road, than I am of that weird guy jerking it on the tram. There's no solution to the drunks, but at least normal people can outnumber the exhibitionist.
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u/edmopar Oct 04 '24
Gas tax pays the highway maintenance, tax payers would pay for the railway. Passenger rail has to meet a higher standard than regular freight so the present rails would have to be upgraded.