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The solution is to stop subsidizing cars. We build roads for cars without a strong link to usage to charges outside of some minor gas taxes.

Link the cost of driving on a road to usage based on the weight of vehicle (proxy for the damage it causes) and this would be an entirely different equation.

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And what a proxy it is. The damage caused to pavement by a vehicle's axle load is proportional to the quartic of its axle load. A 2 ton car actually causes roughly 2^4 = 16 times more damage than a 1 ton car of equivalent make does.

The savage exponential here really puts into light one reason why freight trains continue to be such important logistical infrastructure.

The history of the american road infrastructure was really pushed early on as a military requirement, to be able to move troops, equipment everywhere, even land planes on roads if necessary. Military purposes can be the 'undeniable' justification for almost anything.

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