Roads do provide an economic good. However, having every single individual drive a multi ton vehicle in order to pick up a bag of onions from a supermarket with a 15 acre parking lot doesn't make sense.
> Trains and buses are an incredibly poor substitute in all but the densest of regions.
This is patently wrong. Buses, trams and trains are the most efficient, safe and affordable forms of transportation known to man. They are superior on every metric I can think of. Combined with last mile micro-mobility and you just can't build a better transportation system.
Cars take up more space, kill more people, destroy more land, kill wildlife, and pollute the air. Worse, they are slower due to traffic.
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/1/26/roads-and-debt
> Trains and buses are an incredibly poor substitute in all but the densest of regions.
This is patently wrong. Buses, trams and trains are the most efficient, safe and affordable forms of transportation known to man. They are superior on every metric I can think of. Combined with last mile micro-mobility and you just can't build a better transportation system.
Cars take up more space, kill more people, destroy more land, kill wildlife, and pollute the air. Worse, they are slower due to traffic.