Toll
By toll we mean the fee charged for the use of highways, bridges, streets or tunnels, which is often earmarked for the expansion of road infrastructure.
Brief description
The toll (also: road toll) already has a long history, as it was widespread throughout Europe as early as the 11th century. At that time, the tolls collected were already intended to maintain the road network in good condition and to expand it. Over time, however, the toll was abolished, as it was abused on the one hand and increasingly restricted free trade on the other.
Currently, toll systems for the use of the higher road network are widespread almost throughout Europe. In addition to the toll that is levied in Austria, for example, for passenger cars (Vignette = vignette), since 2004 there has also been a section-specific toll for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tons or more.
In general, we can distinguish between two rules for charging tolls:
Fee associated with access: A toll-payer acquires through payment access to the use of specific roads, where there is no actual use of the road. Like a vignette in Austria, for example, access to roads may be limited in time (e.g., to a week, a month, a year).
Fee associated with the use of: In this case, a person pays a toll depending on the actual use of the infrastructure, for example, at the toll gate. This type of toll can be defined by area (distance traveled, number of trips through the tunnel, etc.) or by time (charge according to stay in a certain area).
Purposes of tolling:
- Financing of existing and future road infrastructure
- Controlling the demand of goods guided by the reduction of traffic jams
- relieving the burden on the environment by charging a fee
- reduction of motorized traffic participants
- generating additional revenue for the public budget