THE ROADS AREN'T FREE: ESTIMATING THE FULL SOCIAL COST OF DRIVING AND THE EFFECTS OF ACCURATE PRICING

Since the Second World War, automobile traffic has increased enormously, and per capita ridership on public transit has declined. This change in local transportation patterns has given households much greater mobility and freedom than in the past. But it has also created a number of problems. The rise of the car culture has caused environmental, social, economic, and political damage. The reason is quite simple: private vehicles have not had to pay their own way. A revenue-neutral tax shift that raised the price of driving and other socially damaging behavior while lowering taxes on productive effort would have important impacts on these problems. Such a policy would, for example, undoubtedly affect urban transportation choices. It would influence how much people drive and the kinds of cars they use, where they choose to live in relation to their jobs, and their willingness to use public transit. The purpose of this paper is to explore these potential effects. The paper estimates the full social cost of driving above and beyond the amount motorists pay today. Specifically, it estimates the amount of a gasoline tax that would be needed to compensate for that social cost, and it projects the effects of the increased price of gasoline on vehicle use, fuel efficiency, urban form, transit use, carpooling, vanpooling, and telecommuting.

  • Corporate Authors:

    Redefining Progress

    One Kearny Street, Fourth Floor
    San Francisco, CA  United States  94108
  • Authors:
    • Cobb, C W
  • Publication Date: 1998-7

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 76 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00763056
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Working Paper Series,, No. 3
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 15 1999 12:00AM