16 October 1995: The toll bridge to Skye opens
A new bridge connecting the Isle of Skye to the Scottish mainland opened on this day in 1995, but the toll soon became a bone of contention.
In 1989, the British government decided to commission a bridge to connect the Scottish mainland to the Isle of Skye. There was already a ferry service, of course, but the island was popular with tourists and many islanders commuted to the mainland. A bridge seemed a good idea.
The problem was that the deal gave the company a free hand over the level of the tolls and their application. With the alternative ferry service closing down almost immediately, the toll operators imposed a charge of £5.40. Residents, who had previously been allowed to travel on the ferry for nothing, were angry.
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The government tried to assuage their anger by paying subsidies to the toll operators to keep fees down. However, while these extra payments would eventually total £7m, the fees paid by bridge users continued to rise, reaching £11.40 by 2004.
Residents then decided to take matters into their own hands, launching a non-payment campaign. In all, 130 people would end up with criminal records as a result of their protests; the organiser even served time in jail. But as a result of the protests the government eventually bought the rights to the tolls for £27m from the operators (which included Bank of America). It then abolished the fee.
