The whole premise behind diversion of fuel taxes is to get people out of automobiles and onto other modes of travel, because of the overall cost of highways. However, in study after study, the cost in people miles traveled, of alternative transportation systems is much higher than in the passenger automobile. While trains do carry a lot of passengers, the cost per passenger mile far exceeds that of the personal automobile. Elitists dont like buses, but putting people on buses is much less expensive per passenger mile than putting them on trains. And those bicycle lanes. Their cost per passenger mile is exorbitant, and their riders don’t contribute a cent in fuel taxes! The automobile driver pays for all of these through fuel taxes! They’re the geese who lay the golden eggs, through state and federal, and sometimes local fuel taxes. And if the fuel taxes weren’t being robbed, the roads could be better maintained and upgraded.
For people transport, self-piloting aircraft will change that. Flight is the most fuel efficient mode of transportation. It's time to put the high in highways. They cost almost nothing to build and maintain and have tremendous capacity. Most schools, workplaces, and stores can go online, relieving half the demand for traditional highways. New technology changes things.