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> One thing I love about driving in America is that (in a sense) everyone is equal. Whether you drive a brand new Ferrari or a 1990 Toyota, you still wait in th

> One thing I love about driving in America is that (in a sense) everyone is equal. Whether you drive a brand new Ferrari or a 1990 Toyota, you still wait in the same traffic. Where is it different?

rzimmerman 5y ago
Sorry - just speaking about my own experience and implying that an important “American value” to me is classlessness, which seems to erode over time. Thanks for calling me out on that. I don’t think this is different anywhere in the world.
bombcar 5y ago
I've heard (could be rumor) that the "high speed highways" in Japan are toll roads with tolls so high basically nobody uses them. Maybe that's an example?
- darkengine 5y ago
  Japan's expressways are privatized and tolled per-kilometer. They are competing with long-distance train lines, so the toll is in the same ballpark as a train ticket (about 13000 yen or $110 from Tokyo to Osaka). The privatization of the expressways was pretty much enabled by the viability of the rail networks, which are also mostly privatized, mostly profitable, and extremely well-built.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    My first thought was "that's enormous", but that's still smaller than the IRS standard deductible for mileage.
    - bombcar 5y ago
      Though it's the toll only and doesn't include all the other costs (car, gas, etc).
      - Dylan16807 5y ago
        Though? I mean my entire point is X<Y, so of course X doesn't include Y? Unless maybe I failed to make clear that the standard deductible's job is to represent car+gas+etc costs.
- outworlder 5y ago
  It's not 'nobody'. They still have traffic jams. But they would be horrendous otherwise. They are really competing with trains. Even if they were free.
mgarciaisaia 5y ago
In Buenos Aires, the northern, suburban, tolled highways have a non-tolled two-lane alternative that go side by side. Going west or south - some of them have a speedbump-filled alternative street, others don't even have that. They don't ask which brand of car you're driving, but there's a really high correlation between income level and living area - northern parts being the richest.

> One thing I love about driving in America is that (in a sense) everyone is equal. Whether you drive a brand new Ferrari or a 1990 Toyota, you still wait in the same traffic. Where is it different?

rzimmerman 5y ago

Sorry - just speaking about my own experience and implying that an important “American value” to me is classlessness, which seems to erode over time. Thanks for calling me out on that. I don’t think this is different anywhere in the world.

bombcar 5y ago

I've heard (could be rumor) that the "high speed highways" in Japan are toll roads with tolls so high basically nobody uses them. Maybe that's an example?

darkengine 5y ago
Japan's expressways are privatized and tolled per-kilometer. They are competing with long-distance train lines, so the toll is in the same ballpark as a train ticket (about 13000 yen or $110 from Tokyo to Osaka). The privatization of the expressways was pretty much enabled by the viability of the rail networks, which are also mostly privatized, mostly profitable, and extremely well-built.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  My first thought was "that's enormous", but that's still smaller than the IRS standard deductible for mileage.
  - bombcar 5y ago
    Though it's the toll only and doesn't include all the other costs (car, gas, etc).
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      Though? I mean my entire point is X<Y, so of course X doesn't include Y? Unless maybe I failed to make clear that the standard deductible's job is to represent car+gas+etc costs.
outworlder 5y ago
It's not 'nobody'. They still have traffic jams. But they would be horrendous otherwise. They are really competing with trains. Even if they were free.

mgarciaisaia 5y ago

In Buenos Aires, the northern, suburban, tolled highways have a non-tolled two-lane alternative that go side by side. Going west or south - some of them have a speedbump-filled alternative street, others don't even have that. They don't ask which brand of car you're driving, but there's a really high correlation between income level and living area - northern parts being the richest.