I agree that roads are one of the things that can't be reasonably accommodated in a strictly libertarian way. There are already housing developments -- my sister-in-law used to live in one -- that do their own road maintenance within the development. Homeowners' Association fees cover plowing and patching. If you live there, you pay it. It ends up looking a whole lot like a tax.

But the second paragraph I was completely serious. Highway costs should be entirely covered by gas taxes. People should be directly exposed to the true cost of driving.[1] This should include construction, maintenance, enforcement, evironmental impact, everything. Railroads won't be saved by subsidising them, but by de-subsidising roads.



[1] Yes, I think this should also include the cost of maintaining "stability"[2] in the Middle East. But people will argue that point.

[2] Chyeah, right.