It’s not just studded tires that are expensive

I just finished reading the commentary “Studded tires increase road costs. Those who use them should pay,” by P.J. Hill. Despite my personal love for studded tires that have saved me from slipping on black ice into the ditch more times than I can count, Hill’s point stands that studded tires cost taxpayers heavily, and those of us who use them should pay for the costs of that damage. However, I really want to emphasize Hill’s statement, “Think of the road system as a public utility,” because we should think of it as such, what is it doing for us, and how much it truly costs.

Starting with the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) with the mission to “Keep Alaska Moving.” DOT had a budget of a little under $1 billion dollars in 2019 out of a total state budget of about $11 billion. More than 60% of DOT’s budget goes towards “surface transportation,” i.e. roads, and this isn’t including the Municipality of Anchorage, which is responsible for the non-major thoroughfares throughout Anchorage. The municipality spends $93.7 million maintaining the road system and its traffic signals, not including the costs of new road construction.

It’s more than just the taxes going to roads that are costing us. All businesses and houses in Anchorage, with few exceptions, legally have to build off-street parking areas that can occupy more than one-third of the total property. Each parking space costs between $5,000 and $10,000 to build, and landowners are legally required to pay for these, taking away their freedom to instead build more housing, a business or even just a garden instead of more asphalt.

In addition, roads are an unequal space. Despite my love for studded tires, they’re expensive, and many folks can’t afford to own a second set of tires. Never mind those who can’t afford a car or gas in the first place. Then there are those who are not able to drive safely or at all: the elderly, the disabled, and children. These are folks that still need to get home safely from work, Fred Meyer, or a friend’s place, and they cannot reasonably take advantage of the road system paid by their taxes.

How else can we get to where we’re going? The majority of trips in the U.S. are for running errands (US Transportation Statistics). These are trips that can be done by bus, bike or just walking without the stress of dealing with traffic or finding parking. Anchorage has a booming bike scene, with a decent network of bike trails safely separated from the road system, though there is room for improvement. I can personally attest to commuting by bike for a summer job from Arctic Boulevard to A Street. It was a bit precarious at times, but it was astronomically cheaper for me than paying gas for a car. Not only was it cheaper for me, but for Anchorage taxpayers as well. The infrastructure for biking, busing and walking are all astronomically cheaper to build and maintain than a road to move a similar amount of people.

I am not advocating that everyone should stop driving and start running 10 miles to work. However, we should understand how much we are paying to use our cars — and know the cheaper alternatives that can get people where they need.

Tvetene Carlson is an alumnus of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

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