Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Those Roads Won’t Pay for Themselves

podcast icon logo
Meal delivery is one service of Project Roomkey. Photo: LAHSA

This week we’re joined by Kevin DeGood of the Center for American Progress, who along with Andrew Schwartz recently wrote a report called Advancing a Multimodal Transportation System by Eliminating Funding Restrictions. Sound too wonky? I call it the "Roads Don’t Pay for Themselves Report."

When approximately 5.5 percent of roads carry 55 percent of the traffic, you would expect them to support themselves. But even with conservative accounting, this report shows that’s just not true, especially in urban areas with larger maintenance costs.

We also get into the concept of "user fees," national transportation politics, and the prospect of "devolving" transportation funding to the states, which is a hot topic these days.

Take a listen to this week’s pod and please think multi-modally! And if you enjoy the show, give us a review on iTunes or Stitcher, where you can subscribe to get each week’s episode automatically.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Eliminating Municipal Parking Requirements Does Not Equate To Zero-Parking Homes

No, the Blumenfield-Raman parking reform motion will not result in a proliferation of "parking-free developments"

June 12, 2025

L.A. City Committee Advances Bike Lane Enforcement, Path Maintenance, and Measure HLA Ordinance

L.A. City is taking steps toward improved bike path maintenance, implementing camera enforcement of bike lanes, and further codifying Measure HLA.

June 11, 2025
See all posts