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that struck me as a terrible road to start down

So the pursuit of of market-based solutions is "a terrible road to start down?" Tell me, which other allocation strategy appeals to you? Do you prefer the "problem of the commons" in which everyone tries to use the resource, imposing costs (in time, stress, and new road construction) on everyone? Or perhaps you like the statist approach, in which the government would allocate usage - maybe even-numbered license plates on even numbered dates, and odd-numbered plates on odd numbered dates?

After a hundred years of auto freedom, and road building, and taxes etc, I do not want driving to become a privilege only for the rich, no market forces or no amount of gas tax will bother the rich at all, in fact it only makes their driving more pleasurable by getting other people off the road.

I guarantee you the left is driving these ideas, putting GPS in our cars so that they can tax us by how far we drive doesn't affect Barbara Streisand, but it sure affects the rest of us.

A true market-based system would only require one to count the traffic miles on stretches of road. The gas tax generated by each stretch (roughly proportional to vehicle miles) would be allocated to expand lanes where demand is highest, thus increasing revenue until demand meets supply.

This would mean rural highways with low demand would receive less dollars.

Social engineers and politicians have artificially restricted the supply of highways for over thirty years because private vehicles are seen as evil, while government transportation is seen as good. The professor's harebrained scheme will only perpetuate this topsy-turvy system.

I can pretty much guarantee the government will use GPS tracking to control your behavior the way the IRS uses the tax code. Politically correct special interests will be favored with cheaper tariffs, while the middle class will bear the brunt of the system. It will be a social manipulator's erotic dream. It is the antithesis of market-based. It must be fought at very turn.

So the pursuit of of market-based solutions is "a terrible road to start down?" Tell me, which other allocation strategy appeals to you? Do you prefer the "problem of the commons" in which everyone tries to use the resource, imposing costs (in time, stress, and new road construction) on everyone?

In many areas, there is a need for high capacity highway systems to evacuate people from hurricanes. How about weekend and holiday travel?