Tollbooth
A tollbooth is a booth placed along a toll road, often in a toll plaza, that collects a toll. They have historically been staffed by transportation agents who manually collect the toll, but, in the modern day, many have been replaced with automatic electronic toll collection systems, such as E-ZPass in the Northeastern United States.
Replacement
In the 21st century, electronic toll collection systems have replaced the former locations of tollbooths around the world. Benefits of automatic toll collection include saving motorists time and money compared to traditional tollbooths.[1]
The COVID-19 pandemic led to further losses of tollbooths, causing the state of Maryland to accelerate its shift towards all-electronic tolling by eliminating all cash payments from toll facilities.[1] Similarly, the Pennsylvania Turnpike accelerated its plan to move to all-electronic tolling. While tollbooths are currently still in place throughout the turnpike system, signs inform drivers to keep moving through toll plaza, "we bill you".
References
- Lazo, Luz (August 12, 2020). "Another victim of the Coronavirus: Cash tolls". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2020.