Toll bridges have been around for thousands of years, originally as private enterprises. Modern toll bridges benefit governments and support transportation improvements. Inefficient payment methods can cause traffic disruptions, but many modern toll bridges offer various payment options. Toll bridges often exempt certain vehicles and some drivers pay for the next vehicle as a charitable gesture. Many famous bridges charge a toll for vehicles, but not for pedestrians.
A toll bridge is a structure that allows you to pass for a fee. Common in road systems, toll bridges have been around in some form for thousands of years. Modern toll bridges tend to benefit local, state or federal governments and are popular methods of supporting transportation improvements and repairs.
Toll bridges originally began as private enterprises. If a road passed through a private owner’s land, the owner could charge him for the use of his bridges and roads. Roads crossing large bodies of water such as rivers were also used as a form of toll payment; in exchange for ferrying passengers across the river, the ferryman would receive a fee in money or goods.
When roads became state property, toll bridges were built to finance road construction and repair projects, as well as for maintenance of the bridge itself. While a great idea in theory, a toll bridge can cause some problems for travelers and workers alike. Inefficient payment methods or insufficient traffic lanes with toll booths can cause major traffic disruptions for miles behind the toll bridge. Many modern toll bridges in densely populated areas reduce this problem by allowing many forms of payment and offering monthly or annual passes that allow subscribers to pass quickly across lines.
In the beginning, a barrier or toll worker often prevented non-payers from crossing the toll bridge. Today, with most toll bridges operating under government auspices, steep fines and fines are typically the penalty for refusing to pay. Many toll booths are equipped with CCTV systems or cameras that take pictures of an offending vehicle’s license plate and mail the fine or ticket to the owner’s home address.
Toll bridges often do not charge certain types of vehicles. Buses, government officials, and even some transport trucks may not have to pay to cross. However, to maintain accurate bridge usage and statistics, nearly all vehicles still need to stop at most toll booths before continuing their journey.
Many people enjoy indulging in charitable or “good karma” behavior when crossing a toll bridge. In some cases, a driver will choose to pay for the next vehicle in addition to his own, as a pleasant surprise for a stranger. Occasionally, this can lead to a good chain of karma, where each new driver returns the favor to the next person in line.
Many world-famous bridges charge a toll for vehicle crossings, although most do not charge to cross the bridge on foot where permitted. England’s London Bridge, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and the oddly shaped Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge are all payables. Most bridges in inner cities charge a toll only when entering the city or in one direction, in order to prevent traffic jams and reduce unrest towards toll bridges in general.
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