Socialized roads that favor the rich (and complacent) over the vulnerable. Vulnerable road users (bicycles and pedestrians) are consistently overlooked and fed table scraps. Bike lanes for all! are promised and never delivered. Answer that by controlling the lane, display your democratic fervor. Do not be intimidated by bullies in motor vehicles. A legal vehicle (bicycle) is that by definition, there are no minimum speeds on roads you will be riding.
Road privatization would produce safer roads for pedestrians and bicycles. Road owners, perhaps in the form of road co-ops could easily afford small trails that would be simple and cheap for bicycles and pedestrians only. There are many possibilities under a free non subsidized system, often the "unseen" is forgotten. New tech and road design that is not implemented due to taxing the young so the parents can waddle about in the parking lot after driving to the mall. What is not created due to complex rules and indirect subsidy leads to stagnant innovation.
If we actually paid for the roadways as motor vehicles users- the current infrastructure, and more importantly building patterns would be far different. Towns, cities and housing would be built much closer together at human walk-able scale. Trucks and some motor vehicles would be used to transport over distance when needed. This type of growth would be small, slow, affordable, and promote small business owners- localized.
Entitled road users (motorists) have no unique claim to the road, tag fees possibly pay for the road striping- if that. Gas taxes do help fund what is actually paid for but even these fees 50% short annually to pay for roads that are built. Existing road costs are overlooked. Government waste is a big factor as well.
Go for a walk and ride your bicycle, slow the cars, stand up for your rights and challenge the jerks who try to intimidate you- they do not pay for the roads - we all do. Our children pay the most, government debt.
