I think they’d be a great idea for all those new roads the subdividers want for their new cover-the-foothills creations.
That way, folks who live in those houses, and people who visit them, would pay for the roads.
The subdivider should pay to have them built; the tolls would pay for maintenance and repair and suchlike, plus possibly paying back the subdivider’s road investment eventually.

Could also consider tolls on new highways, for the same pay-by-users, perhaps.
Not practical for city streets, though: A new toll booth each time you turn a corner would get complicated.

But again, raising taxes should not be the answer, the state should cut spending. Suppose “Joe the Plumber” is wants to buy some new tools, does he save up and buy them (or properly budget for them) or go out and get a credit card and spend money he does not own and can’t manage? It goes the same for the State.

Just another thought to throw out there…TOLL ROADS! – Privately owned ones at that.

I’m all for privatizing everything that the government should not do. Time has proven the government’s incompetence in managing…well pretty much everything!

With today’s technology, private toll roads would be very simple and effective. Only those using the road pay for them. The upkeep of the road would be better. Safety would improve.

American people are much more capable than the American Government.

Gordon seems to have a more realistic approach. Pay for your choices. My mother in-law only drives 600 miles a year and never on the interstate. Why should she pay the same as a daily commuter? My only argument with Gordon is when he says “Problem with that, of course, is that the all-electric vehicles won’t be paying anything toward roads”. My view is that we need to break the dependency on foreign oil first, then start looking at the cost of conservation (which will be considerably less than the cost of life in the current middle east war). And every electric car on the road lowers the cost of asphalt, a petroleum based product.

OK, maybe I’m extreme, but I know lotsa folks who have a mid-size pickup, a full-size truck, a sedan, etc. and use the one that’s right for the job.

Oh, yeah, my wife and I also have a Jeep Grand Cherokee that gets 16 to 20 miles to the gallon, is all-wheel drive (much safer in Idaho’s winters) and call haul us and our luggage, etc., or pick up fairly heavy stuff at the feed store or whatever. Much better for road trips etc. than the trucks or motorcycles.

And if I can ever figure out how to keep the goatheads from flattening the tires, I might get to riding a bicycle more. (Yeah, I’ve tried the spray-in goop, the Kevlar tire liners, etc., but goatheads don’t give up easily.

2. Ever see those pickups around town with wheels and tires that look like they belong on the giant earth-movers? Yep, those wheels turn many fewer times per mile than the normal ones, thus causing the odometer to turn many fewer times per thousand miles. So much for the accuracy of the electronic gizmos or checking the odometer at registration time (hard to do through the mail anyway) — and without having to tweak the odometer.

You’re right about one thing, though: There ain’t no fair way. But fuel tax still comes the closest, since it makes me pay more when I drive my bigger truck, and gives me a break on the other vehicles.
Problem with that, of course, is that the all-electric vehicles won’t be paying anything toward roads. Hmmm.

Nuts; just fix the bridges and let the roads go to hell. We real Idahoans will just drive our pickups and Jeeps and suchlike through the potholes, while the Californians and other aliens may just give up on moving here.

??????

Just for amusement sake, let’s assume that the state acts like an everyday Joe and only spends what it “makes”. hmmm… now that is a novelty. I guess they’d have to re-prioritize instead of reaching into our collective pockets when they REALLY want something. Yup, tough decisions would be required, so I’ll make the first sacrifice – I watch PBS, but I’ll give it up and watch the free network stations. Now the state can spend that 4 Million dollars on roads – wow, that was easy. Ok, since we REALLY need these roads, this year, we’re only going to give out 10 Million dollars in scholarships instead of 20 Million. GREAT – I just found $14 Million dollars to cut from the budget that really doesn’t hurt that bad…only 236 Million to go – who’s next?

The number of lanes are a factor of the number of cars, not the size of those cars. The roadbed design is a function of weight. 1,000 hummers per day or 1,000 Prius per day.. equates to the same requirement for lanes. And gas tax no longer reflects miles driven on the road as it did originally. Registration fees don’t account for the difference between the person driving all day and the little old lady who drives to the grocery store once each week.

It’s all gonna cost a wee bit more; but – in case you haven’t noticed – the “Free Ride” is over.

We want roads, mass transit, etc..? The money’s gotta come from somewhere.

And suckling at the tit of the Ponzi Scheme known as the Fed (as in “Reserve” and “Gov’t”) can’t be relied upon any longer (traditionally, Idaho is one of the few states that receives far more in federal Aid than it pays out in taxes).

“A definition of madness is trying the same things over and over and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein