Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Do Drivers Cover the Cost of Roads? Not By a Long Shot

This chart shows what percent of different kinds of roads is paid for by the gas tax. Image: Pew Research Center
All charts: Pew Charitable Trusts [PDF]
false

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:

The federal government shares the costs of building and maintaining roads with state and local governments.
false

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

Friday’s Headlines Change How We Keep Score

The way the U.S. measures traffic death rates skews public perception toward the status quo.

March 13, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: Buildings are Here to Help People

Jeremy Wells on his book, Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for People-Centered Historic Preservation.

March 12, 2026

Bus Companies Say There’s a Better Way to Take a ‘Great American Road Trip’ This Summer

"Our eventual goal is to make inter-city bus travel every American's first consideration when they think about how to get from one city to the next."

March 12, 2026

Opinion: Make This Summer’s World Cup A Car-Free Paradise

NYC has a major opportunity to support people who don't drive during the World Cup. Could other host cities do it, too?

March 12, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines Can’t Keep Up

While other developed nations are building more transit lines as their populations increase, the U.S. is not.

March 12, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Leading the Blind

Unfortunately, many city streets and subway stations are still not ADA compliant.

March 11, 2026
See all posts