Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: Those Roads Won’t Pay for Themselves

podcast icon logo

This week we’re joined by Kevin DeGood of the Center for American Progress, who along with Andrew Schwartz recently wrote a report called Advancing a Multimodal Transportation System by Eliminating Funding Restrictions. Sound too wonky? I call it the "Roads Don’t Pay for Themselves Report."

When approximately 5.5 percent of roads carry 55 percent of the traffic, you would expect them to support themselves. But even with conservative accounting, this report shows that’s just not true, especially in urban areas with larger maintenance costs.

We also get into the concept of "user fees," national transportation politics, and the prospect of "devolving" transportation funding to the states, which is a hot topic these days.

Take a listen to this week’s pod and please think multi-modally! And if you enjoy the show, give us a review on iTunes or Stitcher, where you can subscribe to get each week’s episode automatically.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Wrote Themselves

Blame it on AI. That will fix everything.

March 6, 2026

Friday Video: How Boomers Broke the Auto Market

Take a deep dive into America's SUV apocalypse — and learn how the next generation can undo the damage.

March 6, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: The Annual Prediction Show with Yonah Freemark

Yonah Freemark joins Talking Headways for their annual discussion of future of transit in the United States (and Mexico).

March 5, 2026

‘Stupendous Potential’: Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance Would Cut Costs And Traffic Violence

Lowering car insurance costs doesn't have to eviscerate crash victims's rights.

March 5, 2026

Urban Truth Collective: Straight Talk About The Joy Of Cities In An Age Of Disinformation

The Three Tenors of Urbanism explain their latest effort: The Urban Truth Collective.

Study: AVs Will Super-Charge VMT

Yes, robocars address many of our traffic violence troubles, but they may fail to uproot the deeper rot of car dependency that has hollowed out our society

March 5, 2026
See all posts