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 Put the Pedal to the Metal

How is Denver's e-bike rebate program working out? David Zipper went to see for himself.

November 1, 2024

Public Transportation is On the Ballot Across America

Here are just a few of the races we'll be watching on Tuesday.

November 1, 2024

How Great Could Bay Area Public Transit Be?

A short summit brought together a who's who of advocates, officials, and leaders to talk about their vision for the future of public transportation in the Bay Area.

November 1, 2024

Even Families of Rock Stars like Billy Corgan Aren’t Immune to Chicagoland Traffic Violence

This was at least the third time since June that a driver crashed into a Chicagoland restaurant, shutting it down.

October 31, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Transit Wins and Co-Benefits from Climate Work

Julie Eaton Ernst and Cris Liban on the co-benefits of transportation, the evolution of the definition of transportation and making change in small steps.

October 31, 2024
See all posts