the prelude to a new or higher driving tax?

Yesterday on the radio there was report that the gas tax is now the
lowest ever in terms of miles driven per tax dollar. This is of course
due to increases in fuel effeciency. The report went on that there is
now more wear and tear on the roads for taxes collected because people
at large are driving more for every tax dollar.

Of course it didn't bother to mention that personal passenger vehicles
cause little to no wear and tear on the roads. So little that if
trucks heavier than a ford F150 or so were eliminated most roads would
last a century or more.

Possible set up for:
1) taxing per mile and tracking everyone.
2) increased gas tax to continue to support trucking companies in the
style they are used to.
3) increased gas tax so there is more money to divert to other purposes.

In article >,
Brent > wrote:
>
>Yesterday on the radio there was report that the gas tax is now the
>lowest ever in terms of miles driven per tax dollar. This is of course
>due to increases in fuel effeciency. The report went on that there is
>now more wear and tear on the roads for taxes collected because people
>at large are driving more for every tax dollar.
>
>Of course it didn't bother to mention that personal passenger vehicles
>cause little to no wear and tear on the roads. So little that if
>trucks heavier than a ford F150 or so were eliminated most roads would
>last a century or more.

Maube in Florida. In Chicago, winter freezes assure the roads will
deteriorate even without trucks.
--
The problem with socialism is there's always
someone with less ability and more need.

On 2010-07-04, Matthew Russotto > wrote:
> In article >,
> Brent > wrote:
>>
>>Yesterday on the radio there was report that the gas tax is now the
>>lowest ever in terms of miles driven per tax dollar. This is of course
>>due to increases in fuel effeciency. The report went on that there is
>>now more wear and tear on the roads for taxes collected because people
>>at large are driving more for every tax dollar.
>>
>>Of course it didn't bother to mention that personal passenger vehicles
>>cause little to no wear and tear on the roads. So little that if
>>trucks heavier than a ford F150 or so were eliminated most roads would
>>last a century or more.
>
> Maube in Florida. In Chicago, winter freezes assure the roads will
> deteriorate even without trucks.

Heavy trucks make many small cracks that water exploits. Fewer cracks
means less damage. The life of the roads would increase dramatically.

Lots of simple concrete structures that aren't exposed to heavy
cylic loading survive 50 to 100 years out in the weather here. Some of
the roads even make it to 50 with the truck traffic (and a resurfacing,
but not a total redo)

On Jul 3, 9:41*pm, Brent > wrote:
> Heavy trucks make many small cracks that water exploits. Fewer cracks
> means less damage. The life of the roads would increase dramatically.
>
> Lots of simple concrete structures that aren't exposed to heavy
> cylic loading survive 50 to 100 years out in the weather here. Some of
> the roads even make it to 50 with the truck traffic (and a resurfacing,
> but not a total redo)- Hide quoted text -

Do these simple concrete structures see salting in winter?

I do have a piece of 1925 sidewalk out front of my house, and there
are pre-1930 sections here and there, but those seem to be the lucky
bits. The unlucky bits were replaced a long time ago, simply from
weather and time damage (people are not that fat around here).

On 2010-07-06, Ed Treijs > wrote:
> On Jul 3, 9:41*pm, Brent > wrote:
>> Heavy trucks make many small cracks that water exploits. Fewer cracks
>> means less damage. The life of the roads would increase dramatically.
>>
>> Lots of simple concrete structures that aren't exposed to heavy
>> cylic loading survive 50 to 100 years out in the weather here. Some of
>> the roads even make it to 50 with the truck traffic (and a resurfacing,
>> but not a total redo)- Hide quoted text -
>
> Do these simple concrete structures see salting in winter?

Road salt's attack is greatly increased by the cracks that allow the
salty water to reach the rebar.

> I do have a piece of 1925 sidewalk out front of my house, and there
> are pre-1930 sections here and there, but those seem to be the lucky
> bits. The unlucky bits were replaced a long time ago, simply from
> weather and time damage (people are not that fat around here).

Sidewalks are most often replaced because the slabs are heaved up or
sunken. This is because they are sidewalks and constructed with a proper
base. It's easier and cheaper just to replace the bits that go up or
down too much.

A properly built and maintained road simply doesn't get enough loading
from typical passenger vehicles for it to matter if there are 2 or
2,000,000. The loading is so very low.

But weather has nothing to do with miles driven of any vehicle anyway.

On 07/06/10 21:49, Brent wrote:

> Sidewalks are most often replaced because the slabs are heaved up or
> sunken. This is because they are sidewalks and constructed with a proper
> base. It's easier and cheaper just to replace the bits that go up or
> down too much.

Pasadena solves this problem by making blacktop ramps -- roughly a
45-degree angle from low block to high block -- which are just perfect
for a person in a wheelchair :-( If the difference is less than two
inches, they just paint the high part with a strip of yellow paint.
They did this maybe three years ago. I thought it was so that the
blacktop guys would be able to easily find out where to apply their
ramps, but the paint has faded to almost-concrete-color.

And in the meantime they've constructed and landscaped LOTS of medians
and roundouts (the things they apply to streets to prevent parking or
efficient turning), which are very pretty. I can only assume that these
things are what they brag about at their City Father inter-city meetings
where they have to show the other City Fathers just how much
'improvement' they've done. Damn expensive bragging rights, especially
with other people's money.

--
Cheers, Bev
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++
To define recursion, we must first define recursion.

On Jul 3, 12:47*pm, Brent > wrote:
> Yesterday on the radio there was report that the gas tax is now the
> lowest ever in terms of miles driven per tax dollar. This is of course
> due to increases in fuel effeciency. The report went on that there is
> now more wear and tear on the roads for taxes collected because people
> at large are driving more for every tax dollar.
>
> Of course it didn't bother to mention that personal passenger vehicles
> cause little to no wear and tear on the roads. So little that if
> trucks heavier than a ford F150 or so were eliminated most roads would
> last a century or more.
>
> Possible set up for:
> 1) taxing per mile and tracking everyone.
> 2) increased gas tax to continue to support trucking companies in the
> style they are used to.
> 3) increased gas tax so there is more money to divert to other purposes.

This is another reason for lowering speed limits. Much much less
damage to the roads.

On 2010-07-10, Criminal Drivers Murder 40,000 Americans a Year > wrote:
> On Jul 3, 12:47*pm, Brent > wrote:
>> Yesterday on the radio there was report that the gas tax is now the
>> lowest ever in terms of miles driven per tax dollar. This is of course
>> due to increases in fuel effeciency. The report went on that there is
>> now more wear and tear on the roads for taxes collected because people
>> at large are driving more for every tax dollar.
>>
>> Of course it didn't bother to mention that personal passenger vehicles
>> cause little to no wear and tear on the roads. So little that if
>> trucks heavier than a ford F150 or so were eliminated most roads would
>> last a century or more.
>>
>> Possible set up for:
>> 1) taxing per mile and tracking everyone.
>> 2) increased gas tax to continue to support trucking companies in the
>> style they are used to.
>> 3) increased gas tax so there is more money to divert to other purposes.
>
> This is another reason for lowering speed limits. Much much less
> damage to the roads.

You're growing more daft with age.

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 05:33:10 +0000 (UTC), Brent
> wrote:

>On 2010-07-10, Criminal Drivers Murder 40,000 Americans a Year > wrote:
>> On Jul 3, 12:47*pm, Brent > wrote:
>>> Yesterday on the radio there was report that the gas tax is now the
>>> lowest ever in terms of miles driven per tax dollar. This is of course
>>> due to increases in fuel effeciency. The report went on that there is
>>> now more wear and tear on the roads for taxes collected because people
>>> at large are driving more for every tax dollar.
>>>
>>> Of course it didn't bother to mention that personal passenger vehicles
>>> cause little to no wear and tear on the roads. So little that if
>>> trucks heavier than a ford F150 or so were eliminated most roads would
>>> last a century or more.
>>>
>>> Possible set up for:
>>> 1) taxing per mile and tracking everyone.
>>> 2) increased gas tax to continue to support trucking companies in the
>>> style they are used to.
>>> 3) increased gas tax so there is more money to divert to other purposes.
>>
>> This is another reason for lowering speed limits. Much much less
>> damage to the roads.
>
>You're growing more daft with age.
>


Trucks do the most damage at about 25 mph. One typical 18 wheeler is
equivalent to 4000 or more cars.