Originally Posted by
John Forester
Here is Wikipedia on the subject: "The United States Highway Trust Fund is a transportation fund with three accounts - the bulk composed by the 'Highway Fund', a smaller Mass Transit Account and a comparatively small Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund. Lawmakers established it in 1956 to ensure dependable financing for maintenance of the United States Interstate Highway System and certain other roads. Money in the fund is raised indirectly via a federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel fuel and related excise taxes.[1]"
Oh classic, the typical response of a motorist... Usually followed by: "I pay for the roads therefore cyclists should stay off of them."
Now go on and tell us exactly where these highway funds are used. What percent of the above funds are used for "bikeways." What percent of general funds are used for "roadways?"
Tell us also how local roads are funded. (indeed, it varies from state to state...)
Of course I can look all of this up; but John, you are the expert, and you tend to only have faith in those facts that you provide... so please, furnish us with
all the facts.