It wasn’t planned that way, but today’s front-page story about gas-saving driving practices has a direct tie-in to today’s editorial, “Going the distance.”
As motorists drive less, they pay fewer gasoline taxes, making it harder for local, state and federal governments to build and maintain roads — including projects that would foster smoother, more efficient travel. As automakers realize they have to respond not only with better mileage performance but also with hybrids and plug-in electrics and other alternatives to internal combustion, gasoline tax revenues will fall further and further short of the funding needs.
What do you foresee as this situation unfolds?