WHITBY FREE PRESSEî WEDNESDAY. MAY 7. 1980. PAGE Il. Our historical heritage.... Toilroads helped start develop ment mn erly days By Eugene Henry Free Press readers who have made a trip through New York State in recent years 'are undoubtedly familiar with toli roads, tol bridges and the littie gates where they relieve you of your cash, for the use of the turnpike ahead. Here in Canada there is the Burlington Skyway over Hamilton harbour and in Quebèc there is a 30 inile tol road between Montreal and St. Jerome. Both of these tol operations make big bucks for the provincial gover- nments that buîit them. The toîl road concept came to Canada fromn England, along with colonial army, transportation engineers and for more than 50 years the controlled acess toil road, proved to ho a boon for local politicians. It ser- ved a double purpose - the user paid and concurrently there was not a need to raise taxes for road maintainence from those who lived miles away from the road being tolled. Mid-way through the l9th century a series of co- incidental events took place that contributed ta the wide spread use of toîl roads in Upper Canada. The provincial gaver- nment gave local ad- ministrative bodies respon- sibility for toîl toad management and control. Concurrently they approved debt financing for road building and maintainence. Population was increaseing rapidly and the first towns and villages were emerging at intersecting highways (Whitby was one of these) and around the harbours of Lake Ontario. It was a heady and propitious timne for promoters like aur Peter Perry who bought the road from Lake Scugog to Port Whitby and incorporated it as The Port Whitby, Lakes Scugog Simcoe and Huron Road Company - he had two objectives in mind: <1) the development of Whitby and the opening up of the area around Lake Scugog. He was successful in both of these ventures. The centre road that eventually became Brock Street and Hlighway No. 12 was at the heart of al Perry's dreams and schemes. He saw it as the trunk road to properity for the Whitby area and for a timne it was. Meanwhile Oshawa promoters tried ta develop a north/south road system based on Simcoe Street but they were na match for the well-connected Perry group. The purchase of the roads by private sector businesmen created a fun- damental conflict of interest for them. The basic idea was to capture the grain traffic from around Lake Simcoe ta Whitby harbour. To do this low toîl rates were needed to develop traffic. Concurren- tly, however, the promoters were confronted by shareholders who wanted dividends fromn higher toîls. Eventually it was Canada's winter weather that beat the toîl roads. It was easier and faster for Whitby area farmers to move thier goods in winter on the frozen, hard-packed roads and easier too for the more venturesome spirits to avoid the toîl gate by driving around it through fields that were familiar to them. This running of the toîl gate became a favorite, local, winter sport and the loss of revenues was substantial. This sketch shows a tol house that was probably built by the road company because it is that and nothing more. The living quarters are above and beside the gate. The gaLe is raised. Sometimes the road com- pany would find a real house at a point on their route where a toîl gaLe was needed. This is how the first road-side taverns and eating establishments came ta be. These toil roads were a source of irritation and grievances as long as they lasted and some survived until World War I. A provin- ce wide road development strategy was long in comning. 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