In Germany the secondary roads follow routes laid down during the middle ages. Plus the gas tax is twice what it is in this country.
The German gas tax is more like 4 times ours, and most of it goes toward the subsidization of the rail system, keeping the cost of tickets rather low, thereby encouraging use.
The gas tax is over 200%. I know this because one gas station put stickers on the pumps stating what the gas actually cost before tax, and it wasn't any more than it cost here.