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The roadways are NOT a private market.

You're right. But that doesn't mean they are immune to the same economic forces at work in a private market.

Simply put, this means that an asset whose use is free -- or is perceived to be "free" by the users -- will always tend to be used to excess. That, in a nutshell, is what highway congestion is all about.

Simply put, this means that an asset whose use is free -- or is perceived to be "free" by the users -- will always tend to be used to excess.

You charge your kids for hugs, I'll bet.

Ever bill 'em for mother's milk?

The Tragedy of the Commons, precisely. I'm simply saying that having bureaucrats and politicians deciding what the "market price" is is destined to be a cluster-you-know-what. (never say I didn't make -some- effort to maintain decorum)

That said, taxing highway use rather than gasoline sales might well be an improvement. I'm just saying it's far from a silver bullet. If you really want to put the same economic forces that regulate other forms of infrastructure, the only way to do so is to bite the bullet and privatize the highway system. There'd be pain, sure, but I'm sure there's a way to do it so that the taxpayers are compensated for having paid to build and improve the roads thus far.

One brainstorm idea I'd had was to make the Interstate highway system into a publicly traded corporation, and issue a share to every citizen (sort of like the ownership of the Green Bay Packers). Afterwards, shareholders could sell their shares or buy others' just like any other stock. The highway system would be subject to the economic pressures that exist for any other monopoly. I'm sure it'd be hideously complicated to pull off, but it's just an idea.