Apr
30
The New Severn Bridge
So, to liberate economy, roads need to be privatized. Is that possible?
Private roads, how valid are the idea behind that?
As per general point of view, public roads provides consistent standards; unhindered right of entry; Cost-free right to use (though there are road taxes); collective access to an essential resource; they provides safety and efficient allotment of scant resources.
Actually, it is very difficult even to imagine about private roadways. After all, it is the major work for which governments are set. But the reality is, without private roads, market cannot remain free. If government owns all roads, then basically it rules whole market. As there cannot be any transport without roads which are governmental.
People believe that administration is a necessary evil, because without administration things cannot work. And solving the roads problem is major issue about it.
As a matter of fact, sooner or later, roads will be privatized, because the idea is valid and workable.
There will be no charge on usage of roads. Yet they will be maintained and developed by private owners, and they will be in much better conditions in which they are now. In a social order where roads are privatized, roads will be of better quality and typically tax-free for public to use. Corporations and businesses and shops located alongside these roads will make it a point to have their admission roads in good condition with abundant parking space, they will maintain the roads in good shape whole round the town, city or village. So, how is it possible?
We all are using internet, we all use it freely, it is worldwide free process. There are so vast resources and information’s on internet which we use almost free of charge everyday. There are proper ways by which we reach to what we search for on internet, but we pay nothing for those search engines and private administrators of internet, like google or yahoo or AOL. Government has no role in it. Yet, in absence of any governmental intervention, Internet provides enormous intentional content producers and it provides considerable income creators too. And it keeps increasing and improving with various innovations and ideas everyday. It is a free, self-sustained market.
Before 1995, radio was under governmental authority, did any common man believe then that radio will be privatized? Now we enjoy radio mirchi, FM91 and various other private bands. Do we pay for that? So are those private bodies doing charity? No, they are earning big money. Radio and Internet are examples of free-market, where anybody, who wants to earn, can try his luck and if sensible, he will earn. While people who just want to take proper profits of the free radio and internet, enjoys it totally free of cost. Just like radio frequencies, if India privatize television frequencies too, then we will smoothly enjoy better broadcast channels free of charge on TV, since it is not yet done, we pay for cable operators, which actually loots us, and even don’t provides efficient services.
So, there is no charge or tax on internet or radio.
Who pay for it? How is it self-sustained and how is it thriving and flourishing day by day? In a free-market, every commercial, economic sector will be similarly self-sustained. It is very pragmatic and workable. The common belief that man cannot not be Independent to invent his personal ways and means of livelihood, trade, production and practice his own happiness because that will harm the greater good of society makes this illusion, that administration is necessary, which actually is not.
Severn Bridge
One may question, will roads reach to villages? Actually yes, if roads are privatized, even the remote places will be connected with roads. Why do banks, and private telecommunication companies’ keeps trying to reach to place farthest? Why there are Maruti service stations even in Ladakh where even the government failed to provide efficient road systems?
Roads are the life line of economy. Have you ever considered why all electric poles or cable wires, or water pipelines goes alongside the roads? Basically, roads provide the easiest and shortest way to let the pipelines or cable lines reach from one place to other.
The road possessors will generate their revenues from these utility providers (water, electricity, telephone, cable wires, oil pipe lines etc) {remember the supposed Oil pipeline deal between Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India?}on the other hand, the road owners will see that such tunnels, pipe lines, wire lines, cable lines etc. are laid swiftly, professionally, and properly without damaging the road and beauty of it so that the value of their property and nearby area may not depreciate.
Will the road owners, allow the street vendors? It will depend on the road owners’ criteria, he won’t let any looter or cheater to use his ways, yet the enterprises, and residential areas may demand proper sophisticated street hawkers to sustain in the area to increase the value. As for example, lets say there’s an amusement park alongside a road, the owner will definite allow the balloons and ice-cream hawkers and others with particular usage. The vegetable and fruit vendors will surely be allowed to reach the needy in the residential and industrial areas. Thus even street vendors will be organized.
Can there be vandalism, road blockage, public-protests on streets, and unwanted jams on private roads? The owners and the shops, corporations and enterprises will make it sure, that there may remain no vandalism or crime on the roads reaching their territory as to provide better services for the customers to attract them. They won’t let such hooligans to hurt their brand names. These private enterprises will threaten to withdraw advertising revenues and file a case against the road owners if safety won’t be ensured. So the road owners will provide better road operator system to make the roads free of all vandalism and hooliganism. There won’t remain any robbery or sexual harassment or eve-teasing on roads, because that will affect the market of the enterprises and shops, and malls located alongside those roads or leading to them. Encroachment on roadsides won’t be possible.
Yet, all roads are not situated in vicinity of enterprises and shops and markets or residential areas. So how the highways and expressways will be maintained?
Transportation services will pay for the usage of roads to the private owners. And even that will be vastly subsidized by the competition to gain more and more reach to the consumers’, advertisers, mid-way food and petrol stores, and other services.
Well-equipped roads will increase the price of property along the roadsides, with high rates for residential and business land, which will make the property owners richer. And hence the road business will flourish by itself and will gather more competition; the competition will make the usage of roads by anyone almost or absolutely free just like radios or internet, all self-sustained.
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3 Responses to “Private Roads”
Leave a Reply
jinxykid Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 4:21 pmi always complain about the roads in india….
perhaps private sector roads may be the next big thing
C R D Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 4:31 pmthe idea wudve worked elsewhr.
unfotunately in our country, maintenance of roads is a tuff ask, wat wid ppl making a mess of it in no time..the pvt parties in such a scenario wud want to hike the toll, but wudnt be allowed to.
unpretentious_diva Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 5:16 pm@CRD
every new idea seems tough, but it takes very swiftly and easily the shape of action plan.
who could have thought that telecommunications (telephones) will be privatised?
Now every second hand has a mobile.
The thing is simple, it may take time, but it is inevitable. and it will be beneficial.
about toll, when government will have no force on the system, it will do nothing.
Yet the private companies won’t hike toll, they will increase security to maintain good roads.
ust like inspite of all frauds and dissolved bills, reliance or airtel cannot hike prices.
Government dont stop it, the customers stops it.
If they increase prices, their profits will go down, people will use the company which will provide least prices, and it will gain success too.
Market competition keeps the prices low.