In addition to costs for governmental agencies, the use of surface transportation facilities also places costs on individuals. People who wish to travel must pay for gas, vehicle maintenance, transit fares, insurance, the purchase price of a motor vehicle, tolls, and many other transportation-related costs. Often, these costs go up or down, depending on how much the government spends on transportation. When government spends more on surface transportation, individual travelers spend less, and when government spends less, travelers spend more. For example, if a state spends less money to repair pot holes and improve road conditions, a driver might spend more to repair vehicle wear and tear. If the state invests less for public transit systems, fares might increase to cover costs. Less government spending on transportation can mean that facilities are less safe, resulting in greater burden and costs to individuals when motor vehicle crashes occur. A report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project in 2000 estimated that families spend at least five times more than what all levels of government spend on highways.2
Individuals also pay less obvious costs for failure to invest in the surface transportation system. Prices for consumer goods can fluctuate, depending on the speed and efficiency of transporting goods to market. If road, train or travel conditions slow the shipment of goods and products to market, costs increase for the shipper, retailer and manufacturer. Those cost increases ultimately raise the price of consumer goods.