The High Cost of Free Roads

In Wisconsin, taxpayers pay roughly $779 per household for roads and $50 for transit. But most drivers still believe that transit is subsidized and roads pay for themselves, writes Tanya Snyder.

1 minute read

December 13, 2011, 10:00 AM PST

By Anonymous (not verified)

Snyder talks with the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who argue that non-users and taxpayers in general are on the hook for a significant portion of the costs of building and maintaining roads.

Snyder quotes a report from 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin:

"Between 2004 and 2008, roads in the state cost an average of $4.24 billion annually. Of this, $1.74 billion came from revenue sources unrelated to road use-primarily property and sales taxes-while another $600 million was borrowed

The fact is, roads constitute one of the biggest tax burdens we face."

Thanks to Tanya Snyder

FULL STORY: Transit’s Not Sucking the Taxpayer Dry — Roads Are

Monday, December 12, 2011 in Streetsblog Capitol Hill

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