The Privatization of Roads and Highways - Ludwig von Mises Institute

222 The Privatization of Roads and Highways
such conclusion is fraught with danger, as ceteris paribus conditions
do not at all hold at present. Specifically, the heightened
scrutiny for gated communities is all private, while the more
relaxed, not to say cavalier, treatment (virtual anonymity for
motorists who do not negatively distinguish themselves) is
almost entirely a practice of public police. Another, possible,
implication, then, of an all-private roadway system might well be
increased care with regard to what the customers are up to for all
roads, no matter what their traffic bearing capacity. This would
have greater negative implications for the freedom of movement
of newcomers, and subcategories of the native population who
are criminally oriented. Most likely, perhaps, is that private road
owners would invest in more information gathering for vehicle
owners who seek access to residential neighborhoods for those
who whiz along a highway at seventy miles per hour.
What must never be lost sight of in any such analysis is the
high probability that there will be different practices with regard
to such safety concerns on different roads. This typically occurs
concerning virtually all goods and services produced. Burger, car,
amusement park entrepreneurs, etc., are now free to implement
whatever policies and procedures that seem to them likely to
maximize profits.
At present, we are all too much accustomed to the rules of the
road emanating from Washington, D.C. In our one-size-fits-all
current practice, there is simply no scope for trying one thing on
one street or avenue, and something else on others. Thus, we
must take with a large grain of salt any one policy adumbrated
above. Of course, if there is a reason that some policies are more
profitable than others (e.g., cheaper, more in line with consumer
tastes, etc.), the market place will tend in that direction, penalizing
those firms that do not go along. It is only this latter phenomenon
that allows us to speculatively peer through the fog to
the degree we have.