Per https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TLHWYCONS https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TLHWYCONS we are spending about 120b per year on highways and roads. Per ht

Per https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TLHWYCONS https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TLHWYCONS we are spending about 120b per year on highways and roads. Per https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/motor-fuel-taxes https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiative... state and local fuel tax revenues are about $55b and per https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_Sta... federal fuel tax revenues are about $40b. These figures are from different years and I don’t know how to get aggregate estimates of various other vehicle fees and taxes less government administrative costs, but assuming it’s about $100 per car you are right that the fuel revenues seem to be enough to fund roads. Still, I see private vs public transit as a collective action problem leading to a local, non-global optimum: in aggregate we are still spending a lot on private transit, and when public transit is poorly funded in a particular area you have little choice but to choose private transit, which creates a negative feedback loop on multiple levels (incremental increases in public transit funding have little effect because they’re not enough to ditch a car, new development is dispersed and car-dependent). In my opinion, being all but forced to pay for private transit out of pocket is not much different from being forced to pay for public transit through taxes. Heavy public transit vs heavy private transit is never going to be an apples-to-apples comparison because each has pros and cons (especially when considered systemically) and distinct cost structures. But personally even with a high tax rate that ends up paying for more public transit than I consume, I prefer the systemic outcomes of high public transit funding compared to private transit and deliberately choose to live in an area with that so I can forego car ownership.