Gravel is not good, in my opinion, but here in NE coastal Florida, we used to have little sandy streets and they worked just fine. They have limerock roads further inland, but they have to be graded regularly or they’re your basic “corduroy road.” In other words, hang onto your shock absorbers. And they’re very dusty.
There are places where an unpaved street is not only okay, but nice. But for real transit, there must be paved streets very close to the charming unpaved streets.
That said, it’s strange that the first thing towns want to cut back on is something that benefits everybody. I guess they’re busy cultivating their special welfare population.
or build High Speed Choo Choo’s