Be careful what you wish for.
You said — “Be careful what you wish for.”
It’s simple arithmetic. If the roads are falling apart and you’ve got damage to vehicles because of bad roads and you have dangerous driving conditions (on those roads) — it’s simple arithmetic that if the current funds are not enough to fix them — then you have to raise the taxes.
There’s no other way around it — other than letting the roads deteriorate where hardly anyone can drive on them without damaging your car or having dangerous driving conditions (like bridges falling down, for example... LOL).
If people drive on the roads, they’re gonna have to pay the bill...
One more thing on that...
In Oklahoma (and somewhat in Texas), I already pay “more taxes” for certain roads that I drive on. I can “voluntarily” pay less taxes by driving on a slightly different road, usually not as fast and more congested and perhaps not as well kept up, but basically okay. But, I choose, many times to drive on the road with the higher taxes, because I can get there faster and it’s a lot easier and smoother driving. And that’s a lot more expensive in Texas and Oklahoma (by that methodology of paying road taxes) than what they’re talking about in Oregon.
In Tulsa, the road going to the NE is taxed more, the one going to the south to the border (one of them) is taxed more, the one going west to Oklahoma City is taxed more, the one going slightly north of that and to another Interstate is taxed more, the one going directly to the East is taxed more, and some other ones in Oklahoma are taxed more...
But, I’ve driven on all of them because it’s a lot quicker and more convenient and probably a bit safer, I would bet.