Tolls and collection stations
Introduction
The payment that is made as a right to be able to travel on a road is called toll. In ancient times, the sum that had to be paid to cross a certain boundary (gate) between two territorial areas or to cross a bridge was called portazgo and often included the payment of merchandise.
In more general terms, the concept of toll is associated with the rate "Rate (tribute)") or rate charged to a means of land, river or maritime transportation as a right of transit to use the infrastructure of the respective communication route; for example, to cars to be able to travel on a road or highway, or to ships to be able to cross a navigation channel or a waterway. In most cases, the maritime road or route subject to toll allows users to save travel time and reduce their operating costs, with respect to transit through alternative toll-free roads or routes.
Description of road tolls
The money collected through a toll is normally used to finance the construction, operation and maintenance of road infrastructure (roads, tunnels, navigation channels or bridges). Due to its high investment costs, the toll collected usually does not cover the total construction costs, and when it is administered directly by the State, in general, the funds collected are used mainly for the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure subject to the toll. In the case of roads subject to concession or outsourced, the toll allows the private operator to recover the investments made and the costs of administration, operation and maintenance.
Toll collection schemes allow the State, either directly or through a concessionaire, to charge directly to the users who use the road, bridge or tunnel, thus preventing other taxpayers from subsidizing the users of said road infrastructure. "On the other hand, and due to the problems of chronic road congestion that have been occurring in large urban centers, since 1975 in Singapore, and with greater intensity from 2003, tolls have been introduced. urban under the economic concept of congestion pricing, with the purpose of reducing the number of vehicles entering central urban areas. In these cases, the toll collected covers the operating costs of the control system, and the remaining resources are allocated to public transportation or to finance urban road infrastructure.
Normally, toll rates are paid at toll stations located on the road, bridge or tunnel where you are traveling, either on the main road or on the side roads (when exiting the highway). The main direct problem associated with the collection of tolls is the congestion that occurs at toll stations during peak hours (in urban areas) or during the return of travelers during weekends and holidays (in rural areas). When traffic volumes are very high, Queues can reach kilometers and delays can be extremely high.