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$40 road tolls offer insight into commuter psychology

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281–284 of 284 posts

Re: $40 road tolls offer insight into commuter psychology

#281
Seems like toll roads are always simply rent-seeking or exclusivity-seeking behavior by entities having greater-than-average resources compared to ordinary individuals.

On private property, toll regulation according to a market seems fair enough under a free-enterprise system.

On public property, toll roads are always unfair unless the toll rate is virtually insignificant to all potential users. Any other explanation does appear deceptive, whether intentional or not.

Therefore it is usually just destructively extractive for the average users to fund roads on public property exclusively by tolls alone.

When the public tolling entity is under the jurisdiction of electable officials in a working democracy, the proper response is for a disruptive candidate to campaign on a platform of eliminating toll roads altogether. With public support this could include public purchase of private toll roads according to eminent domain if a price affordable to the citizens can not be negotiated.

Other things being equal, this type candidate should be able to prevail in cases where toll rates are particularly significant to the citizens in general.

Assuming of course free enough enterprise and democracy working well enough . . .

Re: $40 road tolls offer insight into commuter psychology

#282
post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Or after a natural disaster, market theory says equilibrium prices rise to balance demand, but prices cannot rise enough This happened recently in Texas not because of a market failure, but because Texas has “anti-gouging” laws that prevent people from raising prices around a disaster, which entirely predictably had the effect of people being unable to get what they needed (wood, water, etc.) during Harvey.

Yes, anti-gouging laws are well-known for preventing supply increasing to meet the demand. https://hbr.org/2013/07/the-problem-with-price-gouging-laws "A well-known gouging case involves the invisible hand actions of John Shepperson. After the Hurricane Katrina disaster, John bought 19 generators, rented a U-Haul truck, and drove 600 miles from Kentucky to Mississippi. In return for his efforts and risk, he hoped to…

> Instead, he was arrested for price gouging, spent 4 days in jail, and the generators were confiscated.

But we have a free market. /sarc

Re: $40 road tolls offer insight into commuter psychology

#283
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alas, in exactly those unpredicted disaster events the surge pricing would be useful.

How do you figure? Everybody needs to be evacuated, not just the wealthy.

Wishful thinking doesn't increase the resources available.

If there's more demand than supply, some kind of rationing will kick in. Luck of the draw, queues, higher prices, ..

Surge pricing encourages more supply (ie drivers), too.

Re: $40 road tolls offer insight into commuter psychology

#284
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you trolling? Radio spectrum auctions are fairly commonplace these days. Organ markets work reasonably well in Iran, and would be great for the rest of the world as well. Electrical transmission and generation work really well in a market setting in most places that's been tried. What does Enron have to do with it?

> What does Enron have to do with it? Before accusing others of trolling make sure you understand the arguments presented, which you clearly don't.

Enron did some internal trading of energy. Or what else do you mean?
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