A Libertarian Road System

[Ex_Nihil0]

I was thinking the other day about how best to go about a road system that was suitable for a Libartarian society, but I keep running into two problems.  Either you would end up with a mess like Costa Rica, or you end up with a patchwork of roads with different standards and no actual backbones. 

The solution I have for this is a direct citizen owned set of road companies fully independent of Government, with each citizen getting exactly 1 share of stock and no more at each level.  You have one for the interstate, one for each state and one for each county.  In this setup, the road system would be based on toll fees using an electronic RF transponder similar to those used today.  These companies would be for profit and distribute the profits to those who live in there respective districts.  Those who use the roads the least would actually gain financially, while those who use the roads the most would be the ones paying for it.  Like any share holder company, the share holders would elect there board of directors and corporate officers, and even petition to have those various officials removed should they be found corrupt. 

Because such a system would be for profit, no roads would be built that were not needed, and because tolls are based on actual use, everybody would be encouraged to drive more efficiently or at least drive with a business purpose, minimizing environmental impact.  It would also make sure that money that goes to roads stays with roads, eliminating the Federal Government from taking its cut.  And with modern technology, road users would be able to issue trouble tickets on the spot for potholes and other road hazards directly to the repair department.

-FlowCell

[AHPMB]

Most of the country's early roads were not built by the government.  Instead, road corporations were set up on charters between government and private businessmen.  The corporation's charter allowed members to invest capital on the project.  They hired their own workers, generally paying far better than the government could.  When the road was built, the corporation charged tolls on the road until the investors made back their investment plus a profit (usually 12-20%), then the company was dissolved and the road passed into the public domain.

[MrBogosity]

Actually, a lot of them weren't even that. Especially in areas where there were a lot of large farms and buildings were more spread out, roads were just the places where people kept naturally using them. Turns out, the Wisdom of Crowds is very good at finding the most efficient route from one place to another, minimizing distance but also keeping the trail as level as possible. Once the path is beaten down, it would be turned into a road.

Many of them are even Indian trails that people just used.

[Ex_Nihil0]

So what is thought of my concept in general?  It sounds like it was done before, only I'm coming up with a more modern version as I incorporate use of the internet to report trouble tickets.  So, I'm assuming you guys like it.  Also, I would never trust a road to be given back to "the people" as this usually means "government" would try to get its paws on it and not take good care of it.  Roads break down and need routine care in order to maintain optimum performance.  And using a universal toll system tied to single accounts would greatly simplify and speed up travel. 

[MrBogosity]

Also, I would never trust a road to be given back to "the people" as this usually means "government" would try to get its paws on it and not take good care of it.

Which is what happened. Government declared eminent domain over the roads and made it almost impossible for any private roads to be built and maintained. They then fell into their current state of disrepair, but people put up with it because our leaders do their best, and hey, if it weren't for government we wouldn't have roads anyway.

One more way government breaks your leg, then hands you crutches and says, "See? Without us, you couldn't walk!"

[Gumba Masta]

Make that "Break your legs and hand you rikety crutches that wont support your weight and then say "After all that work we have done for you all you can do is complain" "

[Ex_Nihil0]

Government breaks your eggs, makes you an omelet, eats about 40 to 50% of it before it gets to you, sneezes on what's left, hands it back to you and says, "See, you'd starve to death if it weren't for us."

[AHPMB]

Let's not forget that the highway system, a much touted government development had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with promoting business or improving American life.  It was because Eisenhower was pushing the world toward the brink of nuclear Armageddon and wanted to have evacuation routes out of the major cities.  Highways were already being constructed throughout California in response to increased traffic patterns, and would have spread without a giant, bloated government bureaucracy.  It was a government solution to a problem they created.  A solution that was promptly nullified with the development of massive multi-megaton thermonuclear warheads.