In this day and age, the proliferation of cars necessitates the additional investments on expanding road systems. Many people believe that it is the government that take on this reponsibility, while others suppose that this expenditure should be borne by drivers. Although each of the opinions has its merits, this essay would elucidate both sides before giving my own viewpoint.
On the one hand, there are numerous rationales explaining why several people advocate the government-paid approach. Chief among these is that expanding transportation infrastructure could be beneficial to the entire population, not just drivers. When the roads are in the better condition, students could commute to schools more conveniently and safelier. Plus, gaining access to superior public services could be more popular among residents, especially in the metropolitan cities. Therefore, the governmetn should take the main accountability on the upgradation of road systems, using taxes paid by the residents.
Conversely, opponents of the government-funded model argue that relying solely on governemnt funds is unsustainable. They point out that road developments requires subtantial financial resources, which could strain the government budgets, especially when these investments take a long time to materialize. This delay could hinder the development of other public services due to the resources allocation constraints. Moreover, they suggest that drivers could contribute directly to the road expansion through increased road taxes. This approach not only ensure that the users have to make contribution on such expansion based on their usage frequency and tolls, but also helps in regulating the road usage, potentially reducing congestion and enviromental impacts.
In conlusion, although the debate on whether goverment or drivers have to pay for the expenditure of expanding roads is complicated, I believe that a balanced approach appears more pragmatic. The goverment should take primary responsibility for paying for road projects using taxes due to its broad benefit to the society. Parallely, implementing a system where drivers have to make contribution to the projects through tolls and usage frequency could ensure the sustainability of the government fund and avoid overburdening other critical public sector priorities.
