transport etymology 7 - turnpike

1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser

This isn't a term which was ever used used in NZ, but in Britain and the US it referred to a road on which a toll was collected at a tollgate.  As the term suggests, in the early days what resembled a defensive system of pikes was turned to let people through it. In Britain turnpikes were built and maintained by private companies with parliamentary authority in the late 17th and 18th century in response to the increasing need for good roads.  The turnpikes fell into decline in the second half of the 19th century as the railways grew and tolls were progressively abolished between the 1870s and 1890s.  The railways had intercity supremacy and roads remained in a state of neglect until the advent and growth of the motor car in the 20th century.