The Real Reason New Tolls Are Popping Up Everywhere

[@thraxman]

Over $45 million per mile is ridiculous. Thats good ol boy contracts that pad a lot of pockets.

[@Iceforfree]

My thoughts exactly. Government contracting is parasitic

[@unconventionalideas5683]

There are not many companies willing to do that kind of work.

[@huaqingzhu5928]

Overhead cost in construction is really expensive, like insurance premium, workers comp, fringe benefits...plus environmental regulations are too strict. It can take 3-4 years to just get environmental reviews done

[@thraxman]

@@huaqingzhu5928 yeah over head is high and its the structure in place which devalues efficiency and creates these giant dumpster fires of tax revenue and profiteering off government contracts, and back pocket padding for rights to contracts.

[@kursdragon]

Nope, just turns out roads are expensive!

[@55hondafit53]

Relax zoning laws, let home owners open up stores and businesses on their property. Until that happens, no amount of transit can fix the problem because we have consciously separated all our needs through strict zoning laws.

[@barbzfurbernie4560]

“The neighborhood was nice until the Smith’s decided to open a slaughterhouse in our back yard. Many of the children and elderly around here have gotten sick and the tractor trailers that the Smith’s use have added potholes to the street. I’m so glad we relaxed the zoning laws in our town!”

[@larry6601]

@@barbzfurbernie4560 That's one unrealistic way of putting it. Another way is to reduce our zoning codes from 30,000 to under 100. Japan did it in under 12 and they're doing just fine. 100 should cover 99.99999% of America's needs. But hey, if you don't want multi-family housing in your neighborhood, go move to California where the houses are plenty, and at $2.5 million for a 4 bedroom on average. You know, the average amount an American would earn in their lifetime. It's OK to put small local grocery stores in neighborhoods or allow families to grow their own food and raise their own chickens. It won't work for everyone, but it will work for most people.

[@linuxman7777]

This is true, no amount of transit will fix traffic, infact it is true that improving transit almost never reduces congestion because induced demand works in reverse as well, for every car you take off the road, another car will be in to fill it. The best was to reduce traffic are the least sexy, if you put convenience stores in every neighborhood, and connected cul-de-sacs, you would do more to reduce traffic than doubling public transit funding would do.

[@linuxman7777]

@@larry6601 I think people would be more fine with small commercial activity coming into their neighborhoods before multi-family housing does. That is how it is in Japan usually, the single family home neighborhoods, often do have a convenience store nearby, but to get to the multi-family housing, you have to walk towards the train station or the main road. In those areas you will have alot of building types.

[@jagermaestro1]

Possibly one of the dumbest, unrelated, unhinged ideas I have ever heard. This isn't going to reduce congestion, you are still going to go to big box stores. You don't even remotely understand economics. Buying power of large business is always going to outprice mom and pop stores. Most people are driving to work to commute or driving to go shopping for goods that aren't affordable to be shipped and no 7/11 run out of your neighbor's basement is going to outprice real stores with the amount of buying power they have. What is a local business run out of a house going to accomplish? Selling Etsy garbage that no one was hitting the road for either? Completely unhinged.

[@emh.1178]

One proposal ive heard that sounds cool to me is a tax fee that scales by weight per axle- this way heavier luxury vehicles like F150s and Cybertrucks that cause more damage to the road (and pedestrians) have to pay more than someone commuting in a lighter and safer sedan.

[@derorje2035]

weight per axle would even be less expansive for trucks as they have 4, 5 or even 7 axles.

[@KBergs]

Weight based tax is a scam, the only vehicles doing real damage to roads are commercial trucks. Little people in little cars do almost zero damage, so we are subsidizing trucking companies for all the damage they cause to our roads.

[@jajefan123456789]

Yes, or revamp the EPA emission efficiency regulations that were instituted in the Obama era to apply to all consumer vehicles, including SUVs and pickup trucks which are currently excluded.

[@dylanryall]

New Jersey has an interesting solution to getting the amount it needs from its gas tax. The legislature doesn’t set the price per gallon, they set a collection goal. Which they recently raised from 2 billion to 2.34 billion, I think I’m remembering the amounts right. Then the gas tax law is written so each year the tax per gallon is adjusted based on whether they met, exceeded or didn’t make the goal. This year, before the goal increase, they were charging 2 cents per gallon.

[@HydratedBeans]

@@KBergsnot true. Damage to the road is exponential, so a truck with four wheels, that weighs twice as much as a car per-axle, does four times as much damage to the road. Pickups and SUVs do a ton of damage to roads designed for cars, and the massive sprawl of suburban roads are the expensive part.

[@austinrtyler]

Build trains. Build livable cities.

[@LynnGryphon]

You'll never convince local, state, or federal government to foot that upfront cost. I miss Portland's Max lines, loved those when I lived in OR

[@anmolbargujar]

cope

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Then enforce the laws against robbery and put crazy people in asylums.

[@samsawesomeminecraft]

I think you can convince local government to pay for something like that.

[@helloim3j]

This is why we should privatize all transportation infrastructure. When people see the true cost of driving, trains will look way better. The government ruins everything.

[@KyleHohn]

Crazy idea: build walkable housing near jobs 😮

[@inuendo6365]

But then those poor, poor automakers, suburban developers and oil companies who have been corrupting the government for decades would see a dip in profits!

[@marcuslinton310]

You can't walk everywhere unless the climate is perfect year around. And even then, walking will only you get you so far within a reasonable amount of time. Most people can only average 3mph on a good day and in reasonable shape. Plus, this sort of ridiculous idea suggest people should move within walking distance to where they work and that's just beyond stupid and isn't even possible unless people are just shuffling homes non stop.

[@bigbadbyte]

BUT MUH ZONING

[@siddheshrane]

They do that already it's called DOWNTOWN. And you know what happens then? Crazy high rents

[@inuendo6365]

@@siddheshrane there's hardly any real downtowns left in the US because most of them got bulldozed for highways. There's a reason apartments in the ones that are left are in such high demand, suburbs suck

[@rickyrougs]

I HATE CAR INFRASTRUCTURE

[@2x2is22]

That's because you live in an urban "utopia"

[@marcbuisson2463]

​@@2x2is22You mean a cute rural town with a good train station, and frequent buses? Yeah, why?

[@joshuablaz]

I love my car! Driving is a lot of fun, and riding motorcycles is even better 👌

[@jmsp000]

@@2x2is22 ... Which is subsidizing the suburban population. Turns out having everyone live in low-density housing is crazy inefficient.

[@marcbuisson2463]

@@joshuablaz Fully agree... Up until you realise that's not the case for many if not most people present and stuck in traffic and congestion. And that people who don't like driving are also people that makes your druve painfull in many ways, if not potentially dangerous. American drivers have a really bad reputation, and this has a role.

[@anthonydpearson]

9:20 the problem with Vehicle Miles Travelled fees is that they're regressive - that is, they usually punish poor people who can't afford to live closer to town, which means they have to pay more to go to work, which keeps them stuck in a cycle of staying poor. A better solution would be a vehicle weight tax - the heavier your vehicle, the more expensive it is.

[@Mike__B]

Also it's taking a very flawed assumption that 1 mile driven cost the city/state/whatever the same amount in expected road costs regardless of the type of car.

[@TheModeler99]

So you just pay a fixed tax for weight? Did you watch the video? It won't keep up with inflation and rising cost of roads. You need to charge usage. Instead, you can optimize VMT by considering the weight of the vehicle, the family income of the driver etc

[@Milkytron]

It should be based on VMT and gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). If you drive more in a light vehicle, you pay less than a heavier vehicle that drives the same amount. If you have a heavy vehicle, but barely ever drive it, then you would pay less than if you drove that vehicle more.

[@not_popskgaming8150]

Sounds horrible as well, if the government implemented that I would ride a bicycle no matter how far

[@sayorancode]

@@not_popskgaming8150 well more people riding bicycles means less congestion, lower wear on roads. and would be a benefit.

[@jerrik-415]

"and to make sure people have an affordable alternative" Yeah, still waiting for that...

[@yaush_]

Subway is expensive compared to other cities but $3 really isn’t the much. Much less than driving

[@jerrik-415]

@sashagallaway1945 sounds incredibly cheap, why isn't that available to more people?

[@gl0w0]

@@jerrik-415 call your legislators and fight for improved transit service! you should have the choice to get around your city without paying thousands every month for a car

[@unconventionalideas5683]

The Bus system becomes a much more attractive alternative once all the cars go away.

[@poochyenarulez]

Biking is cheap

[@Baker0214]

The amount of wear and tear a vehicle causes to road is dependent on the weight of the vehicle, and the distance driven. No gas tax, no toll roads Let the annual vehicle registration be priced based on the class/weight of the vehicle, and the distance driven in the past year (by the odometer)

[@forresthsu582]

Washington state graduates part of its license fee based on the vehicle's gross weight!

[@markm0000]

That would make too much sense.

[@RyanLynch1]

i agree. make the heavy trucks pay for their road damage!

[@miles5600]

that's what The Netherlands has been doing for decades. they're also gonna add distance driven, currently you pay even when your car is stored unless you pause your plate. but this all works really well, we have the best roads in the world not only for quality, but also the best designed roads.

[@global2829]

Doesn't really work if you do most of your driving in a different state than where you live. E.g. you live in Connecticut, work from home, but take frequent road trips out of state.

[@metamoney7657]

What a scam

[@jrho8033]

The only way to fix traffic is to offer alternative & reliable modes of transportation: Trains, buses, subways. The Federal government needs to nationalize our rail system to allow passengers trains to be more reliable. I would love to take a train across the states, but there isn't a convenient way to do it other than driving a car.

[@GetThemLyrics]

So you want more involved government… Who do you think got us in this situation?

[@butdadmygame]

@@GetThemLyrics The government got us into the situation... by subsidizing cars. If the government got out of the way every road would have to be privately owned and be a toll road. We are just asking the government to subsidize the transportation options that are more efficient now.

[@johnsnow5955]

@@GetThemLyrics Republicans to be specific.

[@nashmonti120]

Yes there is, it’s called Amtrak, it’s already federal subsidized and it fucking sucks, that’s why no one uses it. And the need to go multiple states over isn’t a very large one for most people and even if it was we have planes. This isn’t Europe, we can’t do what they do because we are literally too fucking big for our own good

[@jrho8033]

@@GetThemLyrics You do realize highways are a net loss to cities. They cost more to maintain than they can generate income, which is why this congestion pricing is happening. So the Government subsidize them instead of investing in public infrastructure. People actually produce something in an economy, Cars do not. Move people, not cars.

[@veronicaclephas7570]

This is getting out of hand, soon they'll have a tipping option too 😂

[@Moromom22]

I would say don't give them ideas, but at this point, this is bound to happen.

[@temprd]

It only feels expensive to drive now because people are now paying the actual cost. Car owners have been highly subsidized for 70 years, and no one really thought about long term maintenance.

[@jmike1197]

Very true

[@thetechmaster69]

The worrying part though is nothing else has improved infrastructure wise so now that we actually have to pay the cost, it seems like we are headed towards a society where only the rich can drive. That doesn't work well when our entire society has been built and developed around car-centric infrastructure

[@AB-wf8ek]

​@thetechmaster69 The exorbitant cost of driving has always been obvious to folks with lower income. Privatized transportation was always an unfair proposition, disproportionately profiting car and oil companies at the expense of the public good. It's not that we shouldn't have cars, it's that Americans have been brainwashed to think that cars are the only way. After decades of razing neighborhoods for highways and parking, and subsidizing fuel and infrastructure costs, people are finally waking up to how unsustainable it is. People need to have reasonable options when it comes to transportation. This constant monopolistic, all or nothing mentality needs to stop.

[@RipliWitani]

The majority of the price of gas is taxes. That's why the oil companies are being sued for price gouging. Cars were never subsidized, car owners pay taxes that build the infrastructure, the problem is now everything is expensive and paying for construction is insane. I've seen many road projects destroyed because the concrete didn't pass inspection, this is China level incompetence

[@jumperstartful]

we are a disposable society. No one thinks long term.

[@sailingbrewer]

I hate how they took carpool lanes and turned them into toll lanes and charge during hours that used to be open to all.

[@rogerbartlet5720]

The proposals for many of highways built in the 1960's were they pay for construction costs through toll collection for a fixed period of time. Once paid for, the road would be under the states highway system and maintained with (primarily) gasoline taxes. The plan back-fired, noticeably in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Turnpike was scheduled to have it's bond paid by ~1985. The state continued collecting tolls and still does. Electronic "EZ-Pay" systems made collections almost transparent to motorists. States found these were cheap and easy to set up and another revenue stream was created. Fuel taxes stayed the same, or even increased.

[@icedragon769]

Fuel taxes have not increased, they have been decreasing constantly, because they are absolute money values that don't track inflation. As pointed out in the video, the federal gas tax hasn't changed since 1993, which means in reality, the federal gas tax has gone DOWN by 54%

[@dknowles60]

Ky did have toll roads they did get paid off and became free roads

[@Justone372]

The real reason: Simple Greed.

[@clowkey1747]

Surely this comes along with substantial investments in public transportation infrastructure right? Right?

[@duancoviero9759]

Maybe, but watch they sell the right to run it and collect revenue to a Private Equity company.

[@pimpnamedslickback7780]

NYC does

[@everythingpony]

"affordable for everyone" bruh, sone people cant pay for gas let alone a new fee for just existing again

[@lukethompson5558]

#3 needs to be fixed. Why are construction costs rising faster than inflation? Who’s lining their pockets??

[@bitshtannicajohnson6957]

*Because instead of having five people watching each laboring worker, now there are 8 or more*

[@InternetLaser]

No matter how much innovation you do, a road is still going to occupy the same amount of land. As other parts of the economy have gotten more efficient (think about how much an office can make per square foot compared to a farm), land prices have increased to reflect that. It's not always corruption, it's just that roads are a bad technology for solving transportation in an economy that is growing, especially in urban areas.

[@RK-ve4xp]

One thing is clear. You always pay.

[@monterreymxisfun3627]

That's another way that return-to-office translates to a substantial pay cut.

[@ghersidoci6519]

Don’t forget the bs fees you get charged by going through tolls and the absolutely terrible customer service. Went through jersey a couple months ago and 1 of the 6 or 7 tolls I went through didn’t function properly. Was sent a bill home for a $3 toll with a $50 admin fee. Keep in mind this was their mistake, the ez pass had money in it and the car went through 6 or 7 other tolls without issues. Fast forward a month and they threaten to send to collections because I’m not willing to pay $53 for a $3 fee. Ended up having to spend over an hour on the phone waiting for customer support without having an option to call me back when available. They ended up “waiving the $50 fee” but only this one time the lady said. Absolutely scummy practices and ridiculous fees. Has the same issue when going through maryland I believe and a $5 toll had $50 admin, $25 ambulance or fighting crime fee, and after all the bs a $5 tolls came to over $80. Ridiculous

[@ryanschauer2888]

Why pay taxes for my roads?

[@Wolky324]

So are they going to lower property taxes?

[@linuxman7777]

The Japan approach is very good, the expressways are tolled, while the slower local roads are paid with property tax. Highways are the best roads, the safest, best to drive on, and it is no wonder why they are so popular, because they are free.

[@Southseapirate]

First? Morning Brew is so underrated. Keep going guys.

[@sleeplessstu]

Another problem is that there are fewer and fewer large construction companies capable of building highways. Less competition means that bids are getting ridiculous. Furthermore fewer and fewer young people are going into the trades or aren’t willing to work in these dangerous work environments so the skilled labor pool is shrinking fast.

[@icedragon769]

More construction isn't going to help anything. Making roads wider means reducing the number of destinations or increasing the distance between them, leading to more driving. Sure, you could do a big construction push and knock down all the buildings in manhattan to replace them with highways and have room for all the cars that people want to drive there, but without the buildings, you've gotten rid of the reason that people want to go there in the first place. The problem isn't the cost of construction, it's the cost of land. We have set a norm that land set aside for people to drive on should be free. When the price of something is free, the demand is infinite, so there will never be enough capacity until the entire world is paved over. That's why the solution needs to be more toll roads and more paid parking. Drivers need to get used to the fact that they need to pay for the space they occupy.

[@noahd213]

Pay a better wage and the workers will come. Young people have figured out that it's not worth it to destroy your body making a low wage when they could make more being a comfy web developer or marketer.

[@PaperAirplaneFactory]

I used to work construction. Now that I'm in my early 30s, I'm a knowledge worker now. I make way more per hour, get treated better and am not wearing out my body. I also don't have to work next to hazardous chemicals where my co-workers call me a sissy who's too weighed down by proper PPE getting in my way. If wages were better, people would work the jobs. Incentive isn't there anymore.

[@chrisredlack7770]

elaborate toll roads are more expensive to build. Just raise the damn gas tax. Sick of the Bravo Sierra!

[@jumperstartful]

When will the "damn gas tax" be too much that we can't afford to travel? Communist Lenin said that the way to control the masses is with TAXES AND INFLATION!!. Look around and tell me what you see?!?!?

[@T-xt2vj]

Its crazy how many ways we get taxed even in ways we don't realize. Still got pot hole filled cities everywhere.

[@uss-dh7909]

Make driving more expensive to force people to stay confined within their '15 minute cities'. I still see people all alone in their cars wearing their face nappies. What is it about peoples lust to be controlled all the time?

[@bitshtannicajohnson6957]

*Because shackles, fox tails and cages are more comforting than freedom*

[@scottyomcbrian]

Dealing with a tolling agency on a daily basis sounds hellish. The local toll authority near my home is the cause of untold stress and annoyance. (Shout out to riverlink for sucking... and its fully automated). Fortunately, I have options to avoid it. I couldn't imagine having to deal with that on multiple levels/systems. Sounds dystopian and terrible.

[@Linc3to]

Ofc, let’s tax the people that barely make ends meet for driving to their jobs to make a minimum wage while the rest making 6 figures plus work from home… MA has some of the highest taxes in the country, yet still when I drive in Boston I feel like I’m off-roading or something…

[@jdcjeep47]

Living in Pennsylvania, the vehicle miles traveled tax has me worried. We already have one of the highest gas taxes in the country. It's going to cause more people to become poor, unfortunately.

[@tpolarbeart]

How about making politicians stop pocketing money

[@WackoMcGoose]

The even more sus part, is when the "additional fee for not having a toll pass" is charged _as a moving violation fine_ (as it is here in WA), even more so when paired with "you must have an in-state driver's license to get a toll pass, out-of-state and interstate drivers not allowed" (again, WA's Good2Go tolling platform). And for the trifecta, _they don't even disclose this anywhere at all_ and you only find out by _violating_ it, the toll roads themselves don't even have signage that says "Washington License Plates with Good2Go Passes ONLY" despite them being legally designated that way.

[@jagermaestro1]

I'll give you a thumbs up when you explain why the cost of building a road went beyond inflation levels. Just kind of skimmed over that...

[@burz]

I would say mismanagement of tax dollers is a huge factor. Let's fix that first then worry about asking for more money.

[@jmanakajosh9354]

Go back to gravel and dirt roads, design good public transport. Asphalt is too expensive taxes destroy the middle class

[@miammissophiapetrillo]

Wow. Call me crazy but it's almost as if government isn't good at doing stuff.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

i think you're confusing ineptitude with corruption/complicite

[@jPaulSmith1994]

Dude the quality of this vid is INSANE

[@InternetKilledTV21]

Morning Brew is a media collective owned by Insider, Inc. who you may know for Business Insider. Insider was started by two guys in 2007, Bezos invested $5 million in 2013. In 2015 German online mass media outlet Axel Springer SE bought an 88% stake for somewhere in the $340 million range. Axel Springer bought out Bezos' 3% by 2018 making them the sole owner of Insider, Inc. Axel Springer had an annual revenue of $3.5 billion in 2019. There's a multibillion dollar company behind this video.

[@StorKejsaren]

I live in Stockholm and while congestion tax lowered the amount of cars driving through the city centre it increased the traffic going around it instead. So the tax actually just moved the traffic from the rich areas to the poor areas rather than decrease it in total. This is also proven by the fact that public transport usage only increased as much as the population did during the time of measurement. People still need to go north to south or east to west and Stockholm do not have good options for that other than by car and with congestion tax they only made the journey more expensive since your options are paying up to $12 per day in tax or take the longer route through the suburbs :/

very well said

[@fldon2306]

Miami’s got all them tolls beat… Express Lanes on I-95 NB from Downtown to the Golden Glades, 10 miles, I’ve seen Rush Hour Surge Pricing at $25.90! That’s $2.60/mile!!!

[@BlueManRedManYellow]

Crazy. And the express lanes sometimes still go as slow as everyone else.

[@drxvms]

I tend to believe this is more a matter of American drivers' improper lane usage, i.e. camping in passing lanes. I would love to see how much of an issue this is in an European country like Germany.

[@MM-fe9mz]

Congestion pricing is horrible for citizens Vmt wow thats serious 1984 coming true. Everywhere you go tracked, government contol nightmare

its creeping chinese model social scoring system..

[@eerrvvv]

Thank you for the incredibly informative video. It was easy to understand and the visuals were simple yet effective. I for one, have a new understanding of the complexities of road infrastructure that I did not have before.

[@dennisdriscoll7830]

Politicians are modern day vampires!

[@aeriose]

This video conveniently leaves out the blatant corruption and extreme costs that are paid out to local politicians to award certain contractors. Happens here, probably in California too. Do you really think a road costs $500 million to build?

[@RipliWitani]

People forget the hero of the union, Ulysses S Grant. Was the most corrupt president we ever had and created many of the ways people exploit the tax payers. Like railroads to nowhere and purposely making mistakes so you have to re build. Remember you have contracts and can't be fired because you charge the least to build.

[@pilozm]

Does the toll money that is collected go directly to benefit the road user? No. Not at all in NYC when it comes to the new congestion pricing toll. It will get completely diverted and benefit non-drivers only. Car owners are seen as a cash the cow to be pillaged any time/every time. Car drivers will never get a fair deal. So their only option is to leave the city or state. Avoid those tolls under you cam leave, as much as is possible. Business that do work in the congestion areas should over charge for doing work in those areas, Share the pain. Let those that cannot leave and must remain, pay these ever-increasing tolls. Everyone has threshold.

[@CO84trucker]

Many toll roads were initially set up as a temporary means to pay off the loan to build a road or bridge then discontinue the tolls as soon as the loan was paid off. Some have done this (such as Peña Blvd going to Denver International Airport) while many turnpikes east of the Mississippi are still collecting tolls long after the fact!

[@mikeg3810]

Mismanagement of funds. Exorbitantly expensive contracts. They have more efficient systems. Cameras have replaced toll operators. So they saved a couple million a year. Even with all the reduction in labor, toll costs keep going up and up, new tolls, etc.

[@RavarsenBlogspot]

In my country, government charges road tax and tolls on every major street. Gov loves taking money without accountability

[@BladeTheWatcher]

VMT and the fuel tax is essentially the same. Having two different taxes billed different ways is a HUGE waste of money and time. In Europe roads are mostly free, but the fuel tax is a percentage of the price, so it is adjusting to inflation. This is just another "subscription-based" model to tax people more - what will be next? Air tax? Nothing else is free in the US...

[@garrettmillard525]

VMT does not need to track you. You can have your vehicle miles clocked at an annual emissions test or registration renewal. Even better, it would be a fee paid per mile, multiplied by the weight of the vehicle. American cars have gotten significantly larger, and heavier, as time goes on. Road damage increases exponentially with weight.

[@jajefan123456789]

This is a great idea! Car-brained commenters often ask bicyclists to "pay their fair share of road costs", yet don't realize their 4-ton gender-affirming pickup truck purchase causes 600,000 times more road wear than my 200 lb bike. The 4th power law grows crazy fast.

[@siddheshrane]

This subsidizes heavier inefficient vehicles. Gas tax makes sense in this case since if you don't travel much you don't need to use more gas

[@patriot9487]

@@siddheshrane the VMT would be multiplied by a lot for vehicles of that weight.

[@HydratedBeans]

@@siddheshraneit does not subsidize heavy vehicles. And heavy vehicles are what damage the road. There needs to be a weight tax

[@colbertbd]

@@siddheshranewith a charge by weight you would, properly, charge electric cars. You would even charge them more (by size) because electric cars are very heavy in comparison.

[@octorokpie]

For the love of god don't make VMT based on a big brother tracking system. My car has an odometer, just check it when I renew my registration. Tracking technology is completely unnecessary here.

[@seanbohannon]

Since you want to use California as an example, you really should mention that the legislature keeps finding ways to use gas taxes for things other than road construction and maintenance. Despite multiple ballot initiatives forbidding them from doing that.

[@9365fall]

Horrible ideas, all of them, tolls and VMT make it more unaffordable to travel. Maybe we should ask why it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to build a few miles of roads before we squeeze people even more and make traveling outside of your town a privilege only non serfs can enjoy.

[@robertbrooks6167]

We already paid for those roads - we do not pay over and over to use what belongs to us - see the roads don't belong to these elected officials who think of so many bright ideas

[@robynkolozsvari]

...couldn't VMT be accomplished with annual odometer reporting? which would then have relatively small privacy concerns? maybe require mechanics (of various varieties) to report VIN and odometer, which would give a better ability to detect cheating on the system? not perfect ofc but seems like a much better system than actually tracking individual vehicles movements

[@XC-Z-cv8qw]

Lol at all these "problem-solvers" whereas the problem-makers which are the big corporations who make workers drive to the office are just sitting back and letting others fix their problems for them

[@mynameisgladiator1933]

Nice video. Lived in LA for 25 years. Glad I don't now!

[@mooseBanner]

I mean if only there was a way to transport a lot of people on a single track.

[@namegoeshere1]

I’m sure Elon will think of something

[@mooseBanner]

@@namegoeshere1 we can only hope

[@namegoeshere1]

@@mooseBanner I was being sarcastic, fuck Elon. He is a major reason projects like the California high speed rail and Las Vegas public transit projects are failing.

[@etx007blue2]

VMT = poorer people who live further away from work have to pay more for the commute

[@jonathanstensberg]

It’s because we’re making ourselves poorer and can’t afford to make really expensive things free to use anymore.

[@duancoviero9759]

We don't make ourselves poorer. Those who have power to extract wealth from us make us poorer. That's how America works now and it's all private.

[@jimmyquinn6984]

This isn’t the answer. The US is wealthier than ever is real terms. You’d never guess that though 😬

[@maddog2314]

A lot of infrastructure (read: suburbs) was built on loan from the feds but there isn't enough economic density to maintain them so cities go into debt for their suburbs. It was unsustainable from the start.

[@jmanakajosh9354]

​@@maddog2314The interstate system is also at fault...

[@travist.7279]

And, you're in favor of all this? How long before They find a way to charge us for the air that we breathe?

[@waynelast1685]

Massive wealth transfer from the poor, middle and upper class to the most wealthy.

[@YorktownUSA]

I hate cities. I hate them.

[@beaniemac]

So people are punished for having higher efficiency cars despite the price of fuel going thru the roof 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@Cryptz]

bro....... just make public transportation better

[@marcuslinton310]

bro..... nobody with an actual job enjoys riding filthy public transit with a bunch of crazy whacko's. It only works in certain cities because the alternatives are utter chaos. We see how pathetic the subways are and the only way to clean them up is by having tons of police everywhere and that will only work for so long because the cost to do that is just ridiculous.

[@anmolbargujar]

cope

[@matthewboyd8689]

It's hilarious that every time there's a race between public transit and somebody in a car, no matter how horrible the public transit is delayed or the worst in the country.. It still always beats the car. Car culture is short-sighted

[@nobodyofnaught2]

Seriously, if you want a great driving experience, you should be a hardcore advocate for public transit less cars on the road is a better experience for the people still on the road.

[@marcuslinton310]

​@@matthewboyd8689 Not sure where you saw this, but it's absolute BS around here for sure. I can beat any public transit because they have to stop at so many dropoff and pickup points that they take forever to get anywhere. Maybe you are talking about only subway trains? I can see them winning in many cases due to the level of congestion in the streets. Or maybe you're talking about high speed trains over seas? Yeah, those win for sure if you live in and work in cities far apart.

[@graemelliott3942]

In Los Angeles it’s elitism that drives the toll roads. It’s financial discrimination. If you have the means then you can afford to reduce your travel time. California also has the highest gas tax in the nation and it increases every July.

[@notastone4832]

in canada they increase the carbon tax on april 1st every year lol.. good prank huh?

[@tobeytransport2802]

Here our petrol tax in Britain is around 55p per litre, working out at around $2.70 per US gallon. The cost of petrol is usually around £1.30-£1.50 per litre, or $6.40 to $7.40 per US Gallon. There is also road user charging in London and low emission zones in major and medium sized cities, however only one of the motorways (the national high speed road network) has a toll on it, that being the M6 toll, though a few bridges on smaller but still fairly big roads across the country do have tolls, including the dart charge which is applied to the tunnels and bridges which cross the Thames, between the counties of Kent and Essex, to the east of London. Pretty much all of our taxes go into the general tax pot and thus help pay for police, healthcare, trains etc as well as the roads but nonetheless it isn’t cheap to drive here... and I’d personally never drive in London, I always take the train when visiting our capital.

[@mrme8521]

It's called "usery fees". It's what our oligarchs do to avoid paying TAXES

[@drob8220]

Tolls are fine....but only if there are alternatives modes of transport like trains...which, I don't know if anyone in the US has noticed, there ISNT ANY

[@Gavo172]

Two gigantic issues with this, The first is that some tools are private and not given to the government, the second and way more pressing one with that VMT is that it's a regressive tax the way it's proposed. You know who has to drive in from out of town every day because they've been pushed out due to high cost of living? People who don't make a ton of money. Especially with high earners being able to work from home more often these days, this tax is going to disproportionately impact lower income folks unless robust public transit is offered. Which is still decades off in a lot of major cities.

[@RussianBot382]

The tax should be higher for heavier vehicles. Nothing prevents people from using light scooters and motorcycles, which do much less damage to the roads

[@Gavo172]

@@RussianBot382 definitely something to consider. Especially with massively heavy electric cars that don't give a tax gas at all, that's really not a bad idea at all. Look at the fucking Hummer EV, just shy of 10,000 lb. Maybe a tax after a certain weight?

[@InsaneMonkey507]

You could argue that the existing gas tax regime is similarly regressive for the same reasons.

[@Gavo172]

@@InsaneMonkey507 definitely don't disagree with that. Unlike income though that's going to be really hard to be extremely hard to be progressive on taxation-wise. Believe me, I live in California and we drive all the fucking time because our cities are so big and public transportation, when it exists, pretty inefficient. I love public transportation and would absolutely use it, but it makes my commute to work over an hour instead of 12 minutes. It's straight up faster to bike to work. But then you have to deal with the safety issues around that because people do not respect bicyclist at all lol

[@notastone4832]

@@Gavo172 motorcycles here where i live get cucked on insurance lol.. not sure if thats a problem in the USA yet but it sure as hell is in ontario, canada.. know a guy who used to own a kawasaki dealership.. he shut it down back in the early 2000's when they universally raised the price of motorcycle insurance because they consider it to be unneccesary, unlike a car.. (they then cuck you on the car as well) no joke once got an insurance quote for 68k canadian pesos for 1 year of minimum coverage on a sport bike..thats more than 5x the price of the bike for a year of insurance with a clean record.

[@TopShot501st]

I go out of my way to avoid toll roads

[@GeoMeridium]

Tolls are useless (even the automated ones). They cost nearly as much to operate as they collect, and the traffic jams they cause reduce the utility of our freeways. Road infrastructure funding should be built into the gas tax.

[@CannabisTechLife]

In CA, the rich get to skip the line past all those poors .

[@Anno335]

K brokie 😂

[@michaelwatson113]

Like most urbanist discussions of roads, this video fails to take transportation of goods into account. Roads are important pathways for almost all the things we consume.

[@alileevil]

If you are rich, you can drive anywhere you want. But if you are poor, you take the bus.

[@hardrocklobsterroll395]

I think it should be a tax based exponentially on GVW since that is how road damage occurs. We need to leverage the previously subsidized highway shipping industry and use it to fund public transit

[@hustleyourknowledge]

Lies gas tax raises in CA just about every year.

[@DanielSantos-ym8vd]

Tax the suburbs like 10x more they're the ones using all the roads and causing most of the wear and tear.

[@timsimmons5190]

Well how can some states have no issues? Because north carolina highways are smooth. See a hole and call and I bet they will have the whole road paved next week for that one hole lol. Georgia does pretty good as well. The only problem is officials pull money from the pot that goes to the roads for other purposes. That is all. Could of been a 10 second video

[@lostinauniverse8713]

Why is roads so expensive? Need a video on that! But toll roads and congested areas pricing will be the start of separation of wealth at worst but definitely will punish the working class. How about we do a combo raise gas tax, start state oil that runs at cost not for profit, raise the taxes on rich Government is not here to make profit that will be the death of capitalism but just some of my opinions

[@mobilemcsmarty1466]

ugh, I despise this trend. I have to sign up to some website and buy then install some gadget in my car all for the express purpose of paying **even more** for driving. how have I already not paid ..a lot? income tax to buy the car after paying, sales tax when I buy it, property tax on where I park it, fuel tax to fuel it, annual registration to actually drive it, insurance just in case, there may be more 😕😕😕 oh, right, toll lanes only slow down my driving experience. I consider my time and frustration yet another tax on top of all the others. WTF? after all this nonsense and failures of the system my loss of confidence leads me to find ways to avoid the system, and find the ways I do 🏝😎🍸

exc comment

[@AriVovp]

It's called double or even triple taxation

[@c87kim]

Free roads = shit roads

[@smoketinytom]

... If they say it's because of pollution, then show them the Miami Port on a "Regular Sunday" and quite frankly, the bunker oil emissions are millions of cars on the road for a year, burned every trip. Put the tax on that ship fuel and don't let them claim it back, they'll be flush for money.

[@robertewalt7789]

And airplanes. Watch the engines as a plane take off.

[@charlesbarden2970]

Taxing the use of a road my taxes pay to build and maintain is just greed. Especially when you also tax the fuel I use to drive on those roads that I pay for with money you've already taxed. This bs has to stop they are choking us with more and more taxes. Why not instead of paying out such high rates to government employees that barely work why shouldn't that money go into the things they have already agreed to up keep.

[@MARIAISABELLIMARDO]

Where are our taxes going???

[@bitshtannicajohnson6957]

*To buy Phil Murphy some new hair plugs, and orthodontic procedures.*

[@travist.7279]

Do you realize that the construction costs quoted, work out to over $10,000 per linear FOOT of road? That's insane!

[@bitshtannicajohnson6957]

*It's expensive to pay eight unionites to watch one guy work, huh?*

[@WaveManMike]

They are making it harder and harder just to survive. Most younger people can’t even pay rent, and they are still adding on more things to pay for 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@eliasmarq007]

Unite and be powerful, it’s all you need. There’s always power in numbers

[@TheExigency]

So the more I watch things like this the more I'm confused.. What exactly is the government taking a third of my paycheck for if it's not going to infrastructure and other public facilities and positions? I thought the whole point of income being taxed was to pay for things like this. But now we pay taxes, pay taxes on gas AND get charged for the roads? This makes no sense and something really should be done.

[@dulljumbo4321]

me personally, I think americans need to stop being morons about this and rip the bandaid off and raise the gas tax substantially. the US has the lowest gas tax of almost every developed country, entirely subsidised by the US, and most americans know so little about gas policy that they are incenced despite the fact that they pay for some of the cheapest gas in the world. every time I say this someone comes out and says "but the burden on the poorest americans" this is basically an argument against doing anything. sure, lets just not do anything, its not like every other country in the world also has poor people, and a gas tax hasn't killed them all

[@noahd213]

I agree, but it's politically unviable. Whatever Dem president did it would lose the next election and the GOP will reverse the change (if not eliminate it altogether). Welcome to American democracy where we fall victim to prisoners dilemma on pretty much every topic.

[@sIosha]

Maybe, but that's unlikely. Building transit infrastructure is much more palatable and will have a more positive effect on the balance sheet in the long run. The video also does state a few other issues that raising the gas tax wouldn't solve by itself.

[@britefeather]

People freak out here when gas hits $3.50 a gallon, then I show them the rest of the developed world's.

[@SuperSmashDolls]

The problem is suburbs. Namely, we built way too many of them, and then engineered the real estate market to make suburban home ownership artificially easy to attain. (No, seriously, in what other universe would a bank willingly offer 30-year *fixed interest rate* loans?!) Suburbs additionally depend on road infrastructure being infinitely scalable and remaining free. This makes American politics extremely sensitive to the price of gasoline and the amount of congestion on the roads, because people live too far from their work to walk and too spread out to run a bus or train. Doesn't matter if the gas is relatively cheap compared to other countries. To quote Red vs. Blue, "you don't drink three gallons of milk every time you drive to work". We guzzle that shit down in bulk. Hell, the reason why Americans are oddly excited about electric cars is because electricity (at least at L1/L2 charging speeds) is way cheaper than gas. The solution to "the burden on the poorest Americans" would be to rebuild the cities like they used to be: dense, mixed-use commercial and residential areas of varying intensities. But there's two problems: - That costs shittons of money to build, so it's going to be built for rich people first, while the poor cling onto the suburbs forever because that's how ownership works - The poor are not going to like being told to move back to the cities they just escaped from Yes, these are *surmountable* problems, but they require political will we don't have, ever since the Supreme Court decided to drown the electoral system in unlimited SuperPAC money, and the rich (yes, inclusive of Trump) figured out (or really, rediscovered) half a century ago that they can just stir up endless bullshit culture war fights while they loot our pockets.

[@foobar9220]

@@sIosha Transit only works in high density areas. Everywhere else, there are not enough people for frequent and dense (both mean useable!) service. And having a bus come every two hours, is not something that is actually useful. On the other hand, having a mostly empty bus drive around every 15 minutes from early morning to late night is insanely expensive.

[@Cyrus992]

Will this come to Las Vegas?

[@dennisestradda9746]

Further taxation and people will take it

[@lucristianx]

Every tax has been justified as “how do expect to pay for roads”? Then they add tolls. They add express lanes. They add per mile. Then what the hell am I being taxed for?

[@Robbedem]

The most expensive army in the world?

[@InternetLaser]

It's almost like roads are horribly expensive and nobody wants to pay the full cost of them.

[@lucristianx]

@@InternetLaser Government sure doesn’t

[@edwardstrishock8541]

Knowledge is power, stand up for your rights given to you. Wake up sheeple

[@Geno2733]

I guess they abolished the law stating tolls cannot be used for anything else other than maintaining the toll road they're collected from....

[@alexthesuperb]

I think VMT is a good idea but is that not the same idea as a gas tax? The more you use the more taxes you pay. Why go through all the hoops of setting up this new system when you could just increase gas taxes. You could also have EV charging station taxes.

[@arsvi123]

Funny how the video went from we need tolls because there isn't enough money being raised to build/maintain roads to talking about siphoning that money for public transit in the next. Which is it? Either there isn't enough money to fund roads or there is an excess of funding such that we can divert funding to other priorities, you can't have it both ways. It's disingenuous.