[sukuriant]

Roads aren't free, we pay for them in taxes and tolls.

[jkelsey]

When people say "free and open", that's context enough to know that they mean free as in freedom, not as in beer. Please stop using this silly red herring.

[sukuriant]

I honestly didn't perceive it as "free as in freedom" in the above context.

That said, roads aren't that, either. Try driving on one without a license, insurance, using them in ways that are disapproved of / disallowed (speeding heavily, drinking and driving, etc) to see. Alternatively, use the road to play a game of football. I don't really think they're "free as in freedom", either.

[raarts]

OF course they are not really 'free', but does Amazon pay toll to get things delivered to you? Do government bodies who maintain the roads, tax large suppliers to make use of them?

[dublinben]

Only in the sense that commercial trucks pay higher taxes. They pay that whether they're driving empty or full though, so the analogy falls apart.

[harryh]

The answer to your question is yes. The bulk of highway construction is funded via a gas tax. The more you use the roads the more you pay for them.