History
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by Act of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain during the eighteenth century and nineteenth century. At the peak in the 1830s, over 1000 trusts administered around 30,000 miles of turnpike road in England & Wales, taking tolls at almost 8000 toll-gates and side-bars.
Wikipedia
“The toll system is vexatious and expensive to collect…..it tends to check communication. The principle of the user pays is not sensible in a civilised country where every individual benefits by facility of communication.”
A Select Committee in 1836
“Money must of course, be had for the construction and repairing of highways; but is it necessary to collect it on that old system of stand and deliver, in which Claude Duval and Dick Turpin were such illustrious adepts?”
Illustrated London News, 1857
Almost all tolls were swept from the UK road network during the mid 1800s. Responsibility for roads and bridges shifted to the county councils. By 1880 most tolls were gone. Yet, in 2008, we have the very same debate over one of the few remaining tolls from that era.
I have just re-read the 1993 Report of the Public Local Inquiry held in 1992 into that year’s application to raise the tolls, and would like to draw your attention to para 9.6 that reads “The possibility of the responsibility for the bridge being taken over by the local authority was urged by many objectors who felt they were being unfairly treated by having to pay for highway upkeep and improvement through general taxation, like all other citizens, and then to pay again to use the bridge. I note that Oxfordshire County Council has had discussion with the Company about the possible transfer of responsibility but that the matter is in abeyance pending the outcome of this inquiry.”
That was sixteen years ago. Why have we not yet heard the result of any OCC/Bridge Company discussion about possible transfer?