It’s almost forgotten how much resentment Americans had to the private railroads. They would buy land along the tracks, refuse to make a stop in your town, and start a new town. There was a phrase, ‘railroaded’ to describe being a victim of this power imbalance.
As such, people saw the roads as belonging to everyone but railroads being to the benefit of a few.
Yeah partly because the roads were literally paid for by the state, specially the highways, and truck and bus companies don't have to pay for maintenance.
As such, people saw the roads as belonging to everyone but railroads being to the benefit of a few.