Toll roads around the World
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[edit] Asia
[edit] China
Nearly all Chinese expressways and express routes charge tolls, although they are not often networked from one toll expressway to another. However, beginning with the Jingshen Expressway, tolls are gradually being networked. Given the size of the nation, however, the task is rather difficult.
China National Highways, which are not expressways, but "grade-A" routes, also charge tolls. Some provincial, autonomous-regional and municipal routes, as well as some major bridges, will also charge passage fees. In November 2004, legislation in China provided for a minimum length of a stretch of road or expressway in order for tolls to be charged.
In Hong Kong, most tunnels and some bridges that form part of the motorway networks are tolled to cover construction and maintenance costs. Some built recently are managed in the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. The companies which build the tunnels or bridges are given franchise of a certain length of time (usually 30 years) to operate. Ownership will be transferred to the government when the franchise expires. See also Tunnels and bridges in Hong Kong.
[edit] India
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, spanning 95 km (49 miles) between the outskirts of the twin cities of Mumbai and Pune, is India's first access controlled turnpike. The project was completed under the stewardship of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) [1] in 2002. The new route cuts the time taken to travel between the two cities to approximately 2 hours
Another expressway project which was completed in year 2004, was Ahmedabad-Vadodara expressway (NE 1 - 100 km) which takes nearly one hour (start to end of expressway) compared to 2-3 hours travel by conventional highway NH-8. Later is the busiest highway in India stretching from Mumbai to New Delhi.
[edit] Indonesia
Indonesia opened its first toll road in 1978 when the Jagorawi Toll Road linking the capital city of Jakarta to Bogor and Ciawi, about 60 km south, completed. Still limited in existence, it has just completed a 50 km mountainuous toll from Cikampek to the highland city of Bandung in West Java and is named Cipularang Toll Road. This latest toll also connects to the existing Cikampek Toll Road that runs from Jakarta.
[edit] Malaysia
Malaysia has extensive toll roads that forms the majority of country's expressways which in length spans more than 1000 km ranging North to the Thai border, South to the Causeway and Second Link to Singapore, West to Klang and Pulau Indah and East towards Kuantan. Most of the toll roads are in major cities and conurbations such as Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang. All of Malaysian toll roads are managed in the Build-Operate-Transfer basis as in Hong Kong and Japan (see below).
[edit] Philippines
The Philippines have five toll roads, all on the main Island of Luzon. The longest and most modern is the 84-kilometre-long North Luzon Expressway, connecting Manila with Santa Ines in the North
The South Luzon Expressway and the Skyway connect Manila with the southern part of Luzon.
The Coastal Road is a short (under 10 kilometres long) urban expressway in the south of the Manila metropolitan area.
The Tipo Expressway is a six-kilometre non-divided toll road runing east from the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. It is operated by the same operator as the North Luzon Expressway and will be extended west to connect to the North Luzon Expressway south of Angeles.
The STAR Tollway runs south from Manila to the City of Lipa.
Only the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway / Skyway have an electronic toll collection system, which is based on the 5.7 GHz standard.
[edit] Singapore
Further information : Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, Electronic Road Pricing
In Singapore, toll stations are automated, thus reducing manpower. The automated toll stations, also known to the locals as ERP or Electronic Road Pricing, was introduced by Land Transport Authority (LTA) to reduce city traffic jams. Although it is advanced, it is still unpopular among Singaporean drivers. [citation needed]
[edit] Taiwan
Freeways in Taiwan are not exactly toll roads in the sense that toll gates/stations are not located at the entrance and exits of the freeway. Toll stations/checkpoints are located every thirty to forty kilometres on the No. 1 and No. 3 National Freeways of the Republic of China. There are usually no freeway exits once a toll station notification sign appears, making it necessary for the driver to be familiar with the locations of the toll stations in advance.
See Highway System in Taiwan#Toll station for more detailed information.
Other toll roads in Taiwan are usually newly built bridges and tunnels. Tolls are frequently collected to pay off the construction cost and once paid off, the tolls may be repealed.
[edit] Japan
The vast majority of Japan's extensive expressway consists of toll roads. Payment of the fare can either be made in cash as you exit or using the electronic toll collection card system. As of 2001 the toll fees for an ordinary passenger car was 24.60 yen per kilometre (15.29 yen per mile) plus a 150 yen terminal charge.
[edit] Europe
Toll roads in Europe have a long history. Norway has a sixty-year experience in road tolling. The first turnpike road in England was authorised in the seventeenth century. The term turnpike refers to a gate on which sharp pikes would be fixed as a defence against cavalry. Early references include the (mythical) Greek ferryman Charon charging a toll to ferry (dead) people across the river Acheron. Germanic tribes charged tolls to travellers across mountain passes. Tolls were used in the Holy Roman Empire in the 14th century and 15th century.
In some European countries payment of road tolls is made using stickers which are affixed to the windscreen. Germany uses a system based on satellite technology for large vehicles. In other countries payment may be made in cash, by credit card, by pre-paid card or by a electronic toll collection system. Tolls may vary according to the distance travelled, the building and maintenance costs of the motorway and the type of vehicle.
Some of these toll roads are privately owned and operated. Others are owned by the government. Some of the government-owned toll roads are privately operated.
[edit] Croatia
All Croatian motorways are toll-roads with the exception of the one surrounding Zagreb. They are networked so the driver only pays when leaving the motorway. Tolls are paid in proportion to the length of the used section and according to the corresponding vehicle group.
[edit] France
In Europe, the most substantial use of toll roads is in France, where most of the autoroutes carry quite heavy tolls: at least some traffic seems to be displaced onto local roads as a result.[citation needed] In a number of countries the companies have often fallen in and out of the public sector,[citation needed] and many have had financial problems.[citation needed]
[edit] Italy
In most Italian motorways are toll roads. Major exceptions are the beltways around larger cities. Toll roads form one network: you pay only as you exit. Toll can be paid in cash, by credit card, by pre-paid card, or by TELEPASS.
61% of the Italian motorways are handled by the "Autostrade per l'Italia S.p.A." company, and its subsidiaries. All of these carriers are now privately owned and supervised by ANAS. The network of highways covers most of Italy: northern and central Italy are well covered, the south and Sicily are scarcely covered, Sardinia is not covered at all.
The motorway operators are required to build, operate and maintain their networks at cost and to cover their expenses from the toll they collect. The tolls vary according to the building and maintenance costs of the motorway and the type of vehicle.
[edit] Norway
Norway has a sixty-year experience in road tolling for financing bridges, tunnels and roads. Norwegian authorities closely monitored Singapore's use of tolls as a means to discourage urban traffic and Bergen got its first toll zone outside the ring road on 1 February 1986. Any driver wishing to enter central Bergen by car had to pay the fee.
There are several toll roads to finance road infrastructure and highways in other parts of Norway. Norway also has toll borders to control Export / Import tax, there are toll borders all countries, Norway has a treaty agreement with the European Union.
[edit] Portugal
In Portugal a certain number of roads are designated Toll-Roads. They charge a fixed value per kilometre distance, with several classes depending on vehicle type and regulated by the government. Several authorised franchises run them, the largest at present being BRISA. For cash-free payments there exists the Via Verde, an electronic toll collection system.
[edit] Spain
Most Spanish toll roads are networked, so you must get a ticket on entering and pay when leaving the road. Technically, all roads belong to the Government, although toll roads are built and mantained by private companies under a State concession; when the concession expires, the road is reverted to State ownership, however most of then are renewed.
[edit] United Kingdom
Road rates were introduced in England in the the seventeenth century. The first turnpike road, whereby travellers paid tolls to be used for road upkeep, was authorised in 1663 for a section of the Great North Road in Hertfordshire. The first turnpike trust was established by Parliament through a Turnpike Act in 1706. From 1751 until 1772 there was a flurry of interest in turnpike trusts and a further 390 were established. By 1825 over 1,000 trusts controlled 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of road in England and Wales.
The rise of railway transport largely halted the improving schemes of the turnpike trusts. Unable to earn sufficient revenue from tolls alone the trusts took to requiring taxes from the local parishes. The system was never properly reformed but from the 1870s Parliament stopped renewing the acts and roads began to revert to local authorities, the last trust vanishing in 1895. The Local Government Act, 1888 created county councils and gave them responsibility for maintaining the major roads.
In principle, UK roads today are maintained from general taxation, some of which is raised from motoring taxes including fuel duty and vehicle excise duty. Today, the only tolls on roads in the United Kingdom are mainly tolled bridges, tunnels and the recently-built and privately financed M6 Toll, potentially the first of a new generation of toll roads.
[edit] North and South America
[edit] Brazil
In Brazil, toll roads are a recent institution, and were adopted mostly in non-federal highways. The state of São Paulo has the highest length of toll roads, which are exploited either by private companies which bought a concession from the state, or by a state owned company (see Highway system of São Paulo). In São Paulo there is also a statewide electronic collection system using a plastic transponder (e-tag) attached to the windscreen, named SemParar'. There is a growing trend towards tolling in all major highways of the country, but some resistance by the population is beginning to be felt, particularly due to some abuses which are being imposed, restricting the constitutional rights of coming and going (because the Brazilian highway system has very few non-tolled vicinal roads in parallel to highways) and making some trips an extremely expensive affair, as compared to average Brazilian earning power (in São Paulo, a 1,000 km round trip may cost upward of sixty Brazilian real in some roads, higher than petrol expenses).
[edit] Canada
Most tolled roadways in Canada are bridges to the United States, although a few domestic bridges in some provinces have tolls. Toll highways disappeared, for the most part, in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, political pressure dropped the new tolls on an upgraded section of the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick. Highway 407 in the Greater Toronto Area is a modern toll route. Nova Scotia has a toll highway on the Trans Canada Highway between Debert and Oxford. Another toll highway in Canada is the Highway 5/Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia.
[edit] Mexico
Mexico has an extensive system of toll roads or Autopistas. Autopistas are built and funded by Federal taxes and are built to nearly identical standards as the US Interstate Highways System. Also, many states in Mexico have their own toll roads such as Puebla, Veracruz and Nuevo Leon.
[edit] United States
A toll road in the United States, especially near the east coast, is often called a turnpike. The term turnpike originated from the turnstile or gate which blocked passage until the fare was paid at a toll house (or toll booth in current terminology). Some states have an RF tag that automatically bills the commuters account electronically for tolls. Examples of this are the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system used on most toll bridges and toll roads in the eastern U.S. from Virginia to Maine, and recently extended into Illinois; Houston's EZ Tag, which also works in other parts of the state of Texas, California's FasTrak, and Florida's SunPass. Traffic in these special lanes can move well with minimal slowing. Toll roads are only in 26 states as of 2006. The majority of states without any turnpikes are in the West and South.
[edit] Oceania
[edit] Australia
In Australia, a small majority of freeways have been tolled due to the expense of the freeway being built. Such roads can be found in the Australian cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Toll collection is by both electronic toll collections and traditional toll booth collection.
The Queensland Motorways network includes the Gateway Bridge, Gateway Extension, Logan Motorway and Port of Brisbane Motorway. The Port Of Brisbane Motorway is free.
In Melbourne, there are two such companies that operate tollways within the Melbourne Metropolitan Area. Transurban operates CityLink -- sections of Monash Freeway, Southern Link, Western Link and the upgraded sections of the Tullamarine Freeway -- and ConnectEast operates the sections of EastLink that are currently being constructed through the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. All Melbourne tollways are electronically tolled and the E-tags used by these tollways are interoperable with the tags used on tollways elswhere in Australia. This method does not make allowance for motorists unfamiliar with the toll system who enter the tollway without E-Tags. More than one interstate visitor has been bemused to receive not a bill for inadvertent tollway usage, but a fine for non-payment of the toll, enforceable Australia-wide.
In Sydney, many of the primary arterial roads (known as Metroads) contain at least one tolled section with a mixture of government and private ownership. The State Government owns the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel, while the M2 Motorway, M4 Motorway, M5 Motorway, Eastern Distributor and the Westlink M7 are privately operated by a number of companies. In addition to these, the Lane Cove Tunnel between the M2 and the Gore Hill Freeway is currently under construction.
As well as the Metroad tollways, the Cross City Tunnel - an east-west route underneath the Sydney CBD - was opened to traffic in 2005. This road has become somewhat controversial due to the relatively high toll charge and the closure of surrounding roads designed to funnel traffic through the tunnel.
All Sydney tollways accept E-tags; the Westlink M7, Cross City Tunnel and Lane Cove Tunnel (when completed) only allow vehicles fitted with E-Tags to pass through as they charge their tolls only through electronic tolling methods. The Sydney Harbour Bridge (M1), Sydney Harbour Tunnel (M1), Eastern Distributor (M1), M2 Motorway, M5 Motorway and M4 Motorway uses e-Tags in addition to traditional toll booths. An E-Tag is a RFID device that allow a driver to pass through a toll point without physically stopping. When a vehicle fitted with an E-Tag passes through a toll collection point, the E-Tag identifies the electroinic account of the vehicle passing through and the toll-road operator recovers the toll via that account. There are four providers of E-tag accounts in New South Wales (RTA, RoamTag, Interlink Roads, and M2 Consortium). All tags provided by these four providers can be used on every E-Tag-enabled tollway in Australia.
[edit] New Zealand
Auckland Harbour Bridge was opened in 1959 and operated as a toll bridge until 1984. In the 1960's a group of university students attempted to disrupt the toll system by repeatedly crossing the bridge using motor-scooters (to which a very low toll applied), and paying their toll in £5 notes; the hope was that they would exhaust the supplies of change held at the toll booths. However, the toll authority got wind of their plans, and laid in a very large supply of small change (copper coinage), so that the students were soon weighed down with large amounts of small change.
The Lyttelton Road Tunnel, linking the city of Christchurch with the harbour at Lyttelton, was originally a Toll Tunnel built in 1962. The government of the day promised that as soon as the tunnel was paid for, the toll would be removed, and true to their word the toll was indeed removed in the mid-1970s once the tunnel had been paid off. The Tunnel Authority building and toll booths are still present and in place at the Heathcote end of the tunnel to this day.
[edit] See also
- Toll road
- List of toll roads
- High-occupancy toll
- Private highway
- Electronic toll collection
- CityLink (Australia)
- London congestion charge
- Turnpike trusts the first organisations empowered to collect tolls on English roads
- Malaysian expressway system
- Tunnels and bridges in Hong Kong
- Expressways of Japan
- Toll roads in Europe
- Toll roads in the United States
[edit] External links
- Turnpikes and Toll Roads in Nineteenth-Century America (EH.Net Economic History encyclopedia)
- National Alliance Against Tolls (British anti toll group, but "News" pages includes USA and other countries.)
