Advocacy & Safety - TxDOT: "there is not one road in Texas that pays for itself "

Applying this methodology, revealed that no road pays for itself in gas taxes and fees. For example, in Houston, the 15 miles of SH 99 from I-10 to US 290 will cost $1 billion to build and maintain over its lifetime, while only generating $162 million in gas taxes. That gives a tax gap ratio of .16, which means that the real gas tax rate people would need to pay on this segment of road to completely pay for it would be $2.22 per gallon. This is just one example, but there is not one road in Texas that pays for itself based on the tax system of today. Some roads pay for about half their true cost, but most roads we have analyzed pay for considerably less.

TxDOT (http://www.txdot.gov/KeepTexasMovingNewsletter/11202006.html#Cost)

Anybody surprised?

Motorists not paying the true and total costs of their habit? Who woulda thunk?

And non-cyclist drivers *still* don't get that their driving is heavily subsidized.

I wonder if this applies to all of our recent toll roads as well.

Since some of our local toll roads went bankrupt or defaulted on bonds even before this economic downturn - I'd say they don't pay for themselves.

Considering how little damage is done by cars, they may pay for themselves on most roads. I think of the fact that I'm subsidizing every truck on the road whenever I see truckers that are acting like bullies. As far as I'm concerned, you can't tax those things enough. Fortunately, they've stopped putting the stupid "this truck pays $2000 in road taxes a year" stickers on the back of trucks.

Motorists not paying the true and total costs of their habit? Who woulda thunk?


At the prices we pay to build and maintain roads, nobody pays for the cost of the roads, even cyclists and pedestrians. Sources other than road users must be taxed, so it's not just the motorists that don't pay for the true costs of their habits.

when did anything think that a road should be a profit center? its called infrastructure

when did anything think that a road should be a profit center? its called infrastructure

Yeah I was wondering if they were factoring in the billions/trillions that would be lost due to the fact that these is no infrastructure.

when did anything think that a road should be a profit center? its called infrastructure


^ We think *everything* should be a profit center in this country. It's called greed!

There is necessary infrastructure, pork barrel spending and then WTF were they thinking...

Unfortunately most municipalities and local governments listen to the automobile people when it comes to mass transit, they want it to be cost neutral at minimum. I don't know of any road that is cost neutral when you factor in everything involved.

Aaron:)

when did anything think that a road should be a profit center? its called infrastructure

Whenever I read information like the OP provided in the context of bicycles, I'm inclined to think it's simply a rebuttal to the claim that motorists pay their share while cyclists do not. The claim by some motorists would indicate that they believe that road infrastructure is at least a neutral funding situation. No one mentioned profit.

when did anything think that a road should be a profit center? its called infrastructure

Not about it being a profit center... but it IS about the FACT that motorists don't pay for the roads, as far far far too many motorists believe.

The roads are a public place for use by the public... NOT just a place for cars.

Wish I'd had a copy of this in my pack a few months back when I got buzzed by a driver who then proceeded to give me the, "You don't pay taxes!!" BS argument.

Of course, when I refuted all of his arguments re: gas taxes he just moved on to another piece of uninformed idiocy.

It's just like the people that think renters don't pay property taxes. I've never had a landlord that operated at a loss.

Considering how little damage is done by cars, they may pay for themselves on most roads. I think of the fact that I'm subsidizing every truck on the road whenever I see truckers that are acting like bullies. As far as I'm concerned, you can't tax those things enough. Fortunately, they've stopped putting the stupid "this truck pays $2000 in road taxes a year" stickers on the back of trucks.

Yep. A traffic engineer informed me that the damage done to a road is a function of the SQUARE of the weight of the vehicle. Using that reasoning, cyclists way overpay. We subsidize all other vehicular users.