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"In the U.S., a public education is considered a right. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and so the same considerations don't apply." I find this conversat
by rsync 9y ago
"In the U.S., a public education is considered a right. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and so the same considerations don't apply."
I find this conversation very interesting - first, the thought provoking notion from your parent that supporters of congestion pricing invoke a "libertarian but only for this" exception that they wouldn't apply to other goods like schools.
Then your (obvious) reply that driving is not a right, but a privilege.
I would counter that while driving is certainly a privilege, the roads themselves are a right, or a public good, comparable to schools. So regardless of what hoops you have to jump through to purchase and license your car, once jumped, the roads are analogous to the schools.
FWIW, I am personally enthusiastic about congestion pricing and have heard nothing but good things about its deployment in London. I would like very much to have it considered here in San Francisco.
- TheCoelacanth 9y agoRoads are by definition not a public good. A public good is non-rivalrous; roads are rivalrous as can clearly be seen if you look outside during rush-hour.
- Terr_ 9y agoEcono-technically a "common good" then. But on a colloquial level, they're still a-good-that-is-made-available-and-for-the-public.
- apendleton 9y ago> the roads themselves are a right, or a public good Transportation is the public good. Roads are one means of providing it, but there are others, like public transit. It's up to the government to determine how best to provide that public good given existing constraints in funds, time, land area for roads and other transportation infrastructure, environmental considerations, etc. They've apparently determined that the distribution of modes is suboptimal, and are creating economic incentives to shift it and better pay for it, but ultimately people will still be able to get places one way or another.
- willyt 9y agoRoads have only been a public good since 1888 in the UK. Before this it was common to pay a toll to be able to use a road. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_roads_in_Great_Britain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_roads_in_Great_Britain
- moogleii 9y ago> I would counter that while driving is certainly a privilege, the roads themselves are a right, or a public good, comparable to schools. So regardless of what hoops you have to jump through to purchase and license your car, once jumped, the roads are analogous to the schools. FWIW, roads were for people first, not cars.
- ars 9y ago> FWIW, roads were for people first, not cars. That isn't true. They are for people. First people in wagons, then people in cars. But always for people.
- thedirt0115 9y agoI think by people they meant pedestrians, a la https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history
- jessaustin 9y agoIt will be interesting to see how unoccupied robocars will deal with random aggressive pedestrians. I'm almost as hopeful as you seem to be here.
- behringer 9y agoYou will be able to just walk out into traffic once automated cars own the streets.