Shunpiking

The term shunpiking comes from the word "shun", meaning to avoid, and "pike," a term referring to turnpikes, which were roads which required payment of a toll to travel on them. People who often avoid toll roads sometimes call themselves shunpikers.

Shunpiking has also come to mean an avoidance of major highways (regardless of tolls) in preference for bucolic and scenic interludes along lightly travelled country roads.

For some, practice of shunpiking involved a form of boycott of tolls, (rather than just avoidance of them for financial reasons) by taking another route, perhaps slower, longer, or under poorer road conditions.

Criticism

If it's necessary to drive longer, or to sit in traffic in order to avoid the toll, drivers may actually end up paying more in gas and vehicle wear than they saved by avoiding the toll.

Since gas prices have increased more proportionally relative to road tolls, shunpiking has become less popular in recent years. Typically, the opportunity cost of driving one mile is approximately 50 cents.

Others may feel the extra cost is justified to participate in a boycott.

United States

New Jersey Turnpike

The best known example in the United States is in the state of New Jersey. An approximately 60-miles stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike runs parallel and very close to Interstate 295, with some entrances from each highway being very close to one another. This allows motorists to use I-295 as a toll-free alternative to the turnpike with little or no expense of extra time, and in some cases, a quicker ride. Depending on the motorist's origin and destination, cars may be able to save up to $2.15, and trucks up to $4.35 on a one-way trip [1].

Gov. Thomas E. Dewey (NY State) Thruway

Across the Hudson River, the Bronx River Parkway and Taconic State Parkway provide drivers of passenger vehicles only, an almost toll-free alternative to the New York State Thruway from the Bronx county line in New York City to Albany, New York. The current toll (without E-ZPass) for northbound travel from the Bronx county line in NYC to Exit 24 (Woodbury toll plaza) in Albany is $5.35 (including the fixed 75 cent toll at the Yonkers toll plaza). However, if one were to use the Bronx River/Taconic Parkway combination to the Berkshire section of the Thruway, the toll is reduced to $1.65 instead (from exit B2 to Exit 24). The driver should be fully aware that there are no service areas along the Taconic and nearby gas stations are almost non-existent, therefore a full tank of gas before entering this parkway is recommended.

Dulles Greenway

The Dulles Greenway is a privately owned toll road in Northern Virginia, running for 12.53 miles (20.17 km) northwest from the end of the Dulles Toll Road to the Leesburg Bypass (U.S. Route 15/State Route 7). Although privately owned, the highway is also part of SR 267. The speed limit is 65 mph (105 km/h).

The road was envisioned as early as the 1970s, when new residents were attracted to Loudoun County because of the relatively low cost of real estate. The road was completed and opened in 1995 and is often cited as a success story of public-private partnership. Tolls for two-axle vehicles are a maximum of $3.20. The Greenway is also one of two routes where a subscription membership (exclusive to Smart Tag) allows for an additional discount. Some area commuters find the tolls to be expensive and shunpike the alternative (free) routes, State Route 7 and State Route 28, both of which are generally more congested.

Pennsylvania Turnpike

Shunpiking the Interstate 70 portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 68 and Interstate 79 north is typically faster than using the Turnpike. From Hancock, Maryland, to Washington, Pennsylvania, using the Turnpike the route is 150 miles, while the Shunpiking route from Hancock, Maryland, to Washington, Pennsylvania, via Morgantown, West Virginia, is 158 miles. Although the distance is longer, the speed limit is higher on parts of the Shunpiking route; West Virginia has a statewide highway speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h). However, Interstate 68, especially through Maryland contains several hills of considerable grade, which will slow down vehicles without significant horsepower.

When the remaining link of US 50 is completed in Parkersburg, West Virginia it will also be possible to "shunpike" via I-79 South to US 50 and US 33, rejoining the interstate system at either Columbus or Dayton, Ohio.

These alternates are encouraged by Maryland highway officials, with signage on I-70 that informs motorists that I-68 is an alternate route to "Ohio and points west".

It is possible to shunpike the section between the Monroeville, PA exit and the Cranberry, PA exit via Interstate 376 west, Interstate 279 north, and Interstate 79 north. This alternative route is approximately 5 miles longer and 10 minutes longer when traffic is clear. The toll for this section is currently $2.00.

Additionally, there are no tolls on the PA Turnpike following this exit, allowing one to travel toll-free to the Ohio border. Possibilities for Shunpiking also exist in Ohio via Interstate 680 to Youngstown followed by the Interstate 80 west to Interstate 76 west, and several northbound highways such as Interstate 77 to get to Cleveland and eventually Toledo or other points along the turnpike.

The tolled section of PA Route 66 near Greensburg, PA is often shunpiked via Route 66 Business and US Route 119.

Historical boycott in Virginia

One such example of shunpiking as a form of boycott occurred at the James River Bridge in eastern Virginia. After years of lower than anticipated revenues on the narrow privately-funded structure built in 1928, the Commonwealth of Virginia finally purchased the facility in 1949. However, rather than announcing a long-expected decrease in tolls, the state officials increased the rates in 1955 without visibly improving the roadway, with the notable exception of building a new toll plaza.

The increased toll rates incensed the public and business users alike. In a well-publicized example of shunpiking, Joseph W. Luter Jr., head of Smithfield Packing Company, the producer of world-famous Smithfield Hams, ordered his truck drivers to take different routes and cross smaller and cheaper bridges. Despite the boycott by Luter and others, tolls continued for 20 more years. They were finally removed from the old bridge in 1975 when construction began on a toll-free replacement structure. Perhaps ironically, the newer toll plaza at the southern end out-survived the original bridge by more than 30 years as an administration building before it too was demolished early in the 21st century. At that time, in what might be construed as a final irony, preservationists petitioned against the demolition of the toll structure.

Toll bridges in Maryland

In Maryland, motorists are able to avoid routinely paying the $5.00 toll to cross the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge while traveling northbound on Interstate 95 by deviating about five miles south to the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge on US 40. A $5 toll is also charged on this bridge, but motorists may purchase a barcode decal one time for $5 that is valid for unlimited crossings the remainder of that year.

There is another alternative (although a little bit longer). If the traveler is not limited by time factor, he/she can choose to take the last exit before toll (exit 89) while traveling northbound on I-95 (southbound is not tolled) and take MD-155 north onto MD-161 north which gets him/her to US 1. US 1 and subsequent bridges north on Susquehanna river are not tolled. US 1 north gets him/her across the river and a right turn onto MD-222 south right after crossing the river will get the traveler back onto I-95. This is a little more than 10 mile detour which takes the traveler across the farmlands and rolling hills of Maryland and right by the banks of Susquehanna river while getting back to I-95 and well worth the effort in addition to saving $5.

Delaware Turnpike

The Delaware Turnpike annoys motorists. It has no bridge, the highway extends only 11.2 miles and they therefore believe the toll is largely meant to capture revenue from out of state travelers. As of October 2007, a $4.00 toll is collected in both directions at the highway's Delaware toll plaza located between the Maryland State Line and Delaware Rt. 896. This corresponds to $0.36 per mile traveled. Like most toll highway in the Northeast U.S., toll collection is done either with cash fare or with E-ZPass electronic toll collection.

This toll can be avoided. Heading northbound, one can take the last exit in Maryland, Route 279 North towards Newark, DE. Make a right on DE Route 4, Christina Parkway. Follow that to the light at DE Rt 896. Make a right on Rt. 896 and take that to Interstate 95 North. This short detour, will not only save a toll, but might even save time depending on the delays at the Toll Plaza. In addition, along Rt 896 there is ready access to restaurants and gas stations, with lower prices and shorter lines than the travel plazas.

Avoiding the toll adds 1.25 miles when traveling south, and 2.0 miles when traveling north (the northbound detour is longer because the off-ramps each have a 270-degree curve). Southbound, the detour is 5.0 miles compared with 3.75 miles via I-95 when traveling south; northbound, 5.15 miles instead of 3.1 miles.

United Kingdom

2003 saw the completion of the M6 Toll, the first tolled motorway in the country. The road was originally planned to be free to use as the 'BNRR' (Birmingham Northern Relief Road), but tolls were introduced in order to reduce the cost to the government of building the road.

Road- and fuel-related taxation has been historically high in the UK, and as such many motorists resent the imposition of tolls on new roads. The government has also announced an intention that future motorways may be funded by tolling. As such, a large number of drivers boycott the M6 toll, preferring instead to use the congested M6 through Birmingham, which the toll road was intended to relieve. Also, most of the road haulage and logistics operators in the Midlands do not allow their trucks to use the road.

Scotland has also seen a campaign against bridge tolls, especially on the Skye Bridge, built under a controversial PFI contract. Tolls ceased on 21 December 2004 when the Scottish Executive bought the bridge. The Executive also abolished tolls on the Erskine Bridge from 31 March 2006.

New Zealand

The term "shunpiking" is not used in New Zealand, where toll roads are rare. For many years the only toll road in the country was the bridge carrying State Highway 2 across Tauranga Harbour from the town of Mount Maunganui to Tauranga. Despite being a considerably longer route, many motorists took a more circuitous route around the harbour while the toll was in place.

A similar toll was in place on the Auckland Harbour Bridge for some years after its opening, but the distance saved by this route made the cost of avoiding using the bridge prohibitive for most motorists.

Australia

Australians use the term "rat runs" to describe alternative roads used to avoid tollways.

Taiwan Freeway 3

Tolls along Taiwan Freeway 3 are collected in toll plazas along the road as opposed to at enterences and exits. Since there is not a toll plaza between every 2 exits, it is possible to shunpike by exiting and entering between the toll plazas and still travel the majority of the freeway.

See also

• Stan Shunpike

Publications related to shunpiking

• Exton, Peter. A shunpiker’s guide to the Northeast : Washington to Boston without turnpikes or interstates / Peter Exton. McLean, Va. : EPM Publications, c1988. 159 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. ISBN 0-939009-10-2
• Canadian author William C. Heine (born 1919) wrote Shunpiker's choice (1968),Shunpiker afar (1970) and Shunpiker's people (1982). The first two were published by the London Free Press.
• Shunpiking[2] ISSN 1203-4835 is the name of a periodical published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was founded in 1995.