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A larger toll on empty cars would disincentivize it more.

rahimnathwani 5y ago
"A larger toll on empty cars would disincentivize it more." A larger toll on all cars would disincentivize it just as much. My point is: why not set the toll at an optimum level, and then let each car owner decide whether it's worth the car driving at a particular time and place? If we want to charge people based on the contents of the car, why not charge lower tolls for cars with 5 occupants instead of 4. Or lower tolls for cars carrying older or fatter people (who are less able to take public transport)? It seems to me that road usage prices should be high enough to limit/eliminate congestion and that, if they were that high, there would be no need to discriminate based on what is being carried.
- SECProto 5y ago
  > My point is: why not set the toll at an optimum level, and then let each car owner decide whether it's worth the car driving at a particular time and place? Because to a person stuck in traffic, seeing a bunch of empty cars beside you wasting space is infuriating regardless of if they paid the government their $3 toll or whatever > If we want to charge people based on the contents of the car, why not charge lower tolls for cars with 5 occupants instead of 4. Yep, I'm fully on board with scaling the toll down as the number of occupants increases (and so are most people - HOV lanes exist for exactly that reason) > Or lower tolls for cars carrying older or fatter people (who are less able to take public transport)? Yeah, on board with this too, as are most regulatory bodies - thus the handicap only parking spaces, bus+handicap loading zones, etc. Equal isn't always fair.
  - rahimnathwani 5y ago
    "a bunch of empty cars beside you wasting space" So if you're sending your car to pick up your grandparents, you are 'wasting space' for the first leg of the journey if you don't sit in the car during the round trip?
    - SECProto 5y ago
      Correct, yes, and I feel that a higher road usage toll is appropriate for that leg of the journey.

"A larger toll on empty cars would disincentivize it more." A larger toll on all cars would disincentivize it just as much. My point is: why not set the toll at an optimum level, and then let each car owner decide whether it's worth the car driving at a particular time and place? If we want to charge people based on the contents of the car, why not charge lower tolls for cars with 5 occupants instead of 4. Or lower tolls for cars carrying older or fatter people (who are less able to take public transport)? It seems to me that road usage prices should be high enough to limit/eliminate congestion and that, if they were that high, there would be no need to discriminate based on what is being carried.

SECProto 5y ago
> My point is: why not set the toll at an optimum level, and then let each car owner decide whether it's worth the car driving at a particular time and place? Because to a person stuck in traffic, seeing a bunch of empty cars beside you wasting space is infuriating regardless of if they paid the government their $3 toll or whatever > If we want to charge people based on the contents of the car, why not charge lower tolls for cars with 5 occupants instead of 4. Yep, I'm fully on board with scaling the toll down as the number of occupants increases (and so are most people - HOV lanes exist for exactly that reason) > Or lower tolls for cars carrying older or fatter people (who are less able to take public transport)? Yeah, on board with this too, as are most regulatory bodies - thus the handicap only parking spaces, bus+handicap loading zones, etc. Equal isn't always fair.
- rahimnathwani 5y ago
  "a bunch of empty cars beside you wasting space" So if you're sending your car to pick up your grandparents, you are 'wasting space' for the first leg of the journey if you don't sit in the car during the round trip?
  - SECProto 5y ago
    Correct, yes, and I feel that a higher road usage toll is appropriate for that leg of the journey.