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Not the federal tax. Bob wants to raise the state gas tax 20 cents so he can ride for free.

I guess he's also hoping the highways get built around the places he goes. South Texas has always gotten short changed. Every time there is a budget crunch, South Texas projects get delayed in favor or projects elsewhere. Corpus Christi was ten years late getting connected to the Interstate highway system. We still don't have a controlled access highway all the way from Corpus to Houston. I'd rather have toll roads that can get built quickly and provide alternative to having to go all the way to San Antonio and Austin when I want to travel to Dallas or Fort Worth. BobL just wants any expansion limited to existing highways.

"Not the federal tax. Bob wants to raise the state gas tax 20 cents so he can ride for free."

No, I wouldn't call it "ride for free", rather I would call it everyone paying their fair share.

In other words, if you want to drive in Texas, on any road, highway or not, you pay the same per mile. The problem that I have with toll roads (of any type) is they charge drivers 10 Times as much as surface streets, and they sure as heck do not cost 10 times per vehicle-mile to build. In other words, these toll roads are grabbing money only from certain people, while giving other people (you know, the ones clogging up our traffic lights and surface streets) a free ride.

And on that note - I have no problem with a per-mile tolling scheme, provided the following is meant:

1) I applies to all public roads, highways and streets
2) Every penny collected is put back into roads. If there is more money than needed for upkeep and expansion (which is very likely), the tolls are reduced.
3) REAL privacy protection is used - so no one can track you, either real-time, or in the future.
4) All tolling is equitable, without regard to time of day, or vehicle (possible exception for large trucks).

This, in my opinion, would be a perfect way to finance highways. Unfortunately I don't believe that it will ever happen, so I'm stuck with the gas tax as being the next best thing.