[Sharlin]

That's fine, but only if you agree that the current market failure should be fixed and all the negative externalities of personal car driving should be internalized. The society must cease subsidizing unsustainable means of transport.

[danielrpa]

Let's do it and while at it also remove externalities for the alternative modes of transportation - including removing the subsides for trains/buses in American cities.

[Sharlin]

That makes no sense. They are subsidized exactly because the cost to society is vastly lower than having even more people drive their own cars. Every single person who takes the bus or train rather than adding one more car to the roads is making the society a favor. The point is not to make transportation purely market-driven – the market cannot efficiently solve that problem due to infrastructure being a) really expensive and b) a natural monopoly – the point is to balance the social and ecological costs of transport with the demand for mobility.

[sundaeofshock]

How about we just make the subsidies equitable? Let’s start with removing all free, on street parking and charge market rates. You want to store your private car on the street? That will be $1,000/month please.

[lowmagnet]

why? those modes of transportation are far more efficient, and the economic benefits are obvious?