Do Drivers Cover the Cost of Roads? Not By a Long Shot
David Alpert at Greater Greater Washington shares this fantastic chart from a new study of transportation funding by the Pew Charitable Trusts [PDF]. Alpert explains:
This chart from Pew shows where the transportation money comes from; it's not all drivers.
Basically, the bluish areas are revenues which come specifically from drivers: gas taxes, vehicle taxes, and tolls. The greenish ones are other revenues: property taxes, general fund transfers, and other funds.
In this chart, you can see that the levels of government that subsidize roads the most -- state and local -- also spend more on transportation overall than the feds:
And here you can see that at all levels of government, roads get the lion's share of transportation funds:
Elsewhere on the Network today: Human Transit compares commute times in some of the world's major cities. This Old City discusses how U.S. DOT's new guidance on protected bike lanes could improve street safety in Philadelphia. And Treehugger reports that truck sideguards -- a piece of safety equipment that can save pedestrians' and cyclists' lives -- are now required in Boston.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Monday’s Headlines Are All About Pete
From trying to avert a government shutdown to promoting rail safety, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in the midst of a busy week.
What is the Life of a Dead Pedestrian Worth?
A Seattle police officer sparked outrage when he joked that the death of pedestrian Jaahnavi Kandula might be settled for as little as $11,000. Some families get even less.
Why Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled Matters
“Our job now is to prioritize solutions that mitigate the impacts of climate change while equitably improving quality of life. To do so we need to rethink how we build so Californians can drive less."
Friday’s Headlines Are Tired Out
Whether it's from degradation or the dust resulting from wear and tear, it's becoming increasingly clear that tire and brake emissions are harmful, perhaps even exceeding tailpipe emissions.
Study: What Road Diets Mean For Older Drivers
"After a road diet, all motorists seem to drive at a rate that feels comfortable to a mildly-impaired older adult."
