There's little to no evidence that the Interstate Highway System couldn't be self-sustaining if that were desirable. As it is, the federal government decides instead that about 1/6 of the money raised by fuel taxes and other fees should go to public transit, and states prefer to get their funding contribution from property and other taxes.
Well, of course Naderites are going to have that perspective. But stuff like this isn't particularly persuasive:
> Since 1947, the amount of money spent on highways, roads and streets has exceeded the amount raised through gasoline taxes and other so-called “user fees” by $600 billion (2005 dollars), representing a massive transfer of general government funds to highways.
$600 billion 2005 dollars over 64 years? That's an average of less than $10B/year for a system that serves literally every American, either directly or indirectly through the goods that are delivered by trucking.
Even if road spending has been growing faster than the rate of inflation, that would still be a bargain at twice the price. If I were a properly motivated advocacy group, I bet I could produce a number with a T at the end of it and somewhat plausibly claim its the economic activity currently dependent on the asphalt transportation system.
It takes a real ideological bent to call that a "massive transfer of general government funds". After all, some of those general government funds are filling in gaps left by drivers subsidizing train, bus, and subway passengers. Presumably a not insignificant chunk of the rest represents municipal costs, where it's hard to use tolls or gas taxes to build local roads that literally everyone uses even if they're just biking to the train station.
Highways are paid for overwhelmingly by user fees (largely fuel taxes), not general revenue. On the federal funding side it's over 90%.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System#Finan...
There's little to no evidence that the Interstate Highway System couldn't be self-sustaining if that were desirable. As it is, the federal government decides instead that about 1/6 of the money raised by fuel taxes and other fees should go to public transit, and states prefer to get their funding contribution from property and other taxes.