Tollbooth

Paying up at the East Borough Bridge tollbooth, GTA IV.

Tollbooths are facilities based along roadways where road users are required to pay a fare in exchange for using a specific stretch of road or highway. Tollbooths can be found in various areas of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars; their functionality varies between games.

Description

In GTA San Andreas, tollbooths can be be found in San Fierro at the entrance to Gant Bridge. Although cars stop at the tollbooth, it isn't functional for players. Modifications can be used to simulate the tollbooth functionality from GTA IV.

In GTA IV, tollbooths are fully functional and appear in Charge Island along the East Borough Bridge, on the Dukes Bay Bridge (Sing Sing Ave bridge from Dukes to Bohan), and the long-term carpark in Francis International Airport. Players must stop and pay a toll of $5 to pass through; if the player breaks through the tollbooth gate without paying, the player will attract a wanted level of 1 star (although other drivers do not attract police attention if they break through the gate); this does not occur if the player is already wanted, and such an action will not recenter the search radius on the player in such a case, regardless of whether they are inside the search radius or not.

Tollbooths function the same way in GTA Chinatown Wars, attract the same toll ($5), and are in the same locations, with the exception of the Francis International Airport booth (now non-functional). The toll, however, must be actively paid—when driving slowly past the toll booth, the touch screen will show an image of the trough used to collect coins. Touching the trough will throw the required amount, allowing the player to continue. There is no room to drive around these booths.

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  The Gant Bridge tollbooths in GTA San Andreas. Vehicles stop at the tollbooth for a short period of time before moving on.

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  The East Borough Bridge tollbooths in GTA IV.

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  The Dukes Bay Bridge tollbooths in GTA IV.

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  Tollbooths into Francis International's long-term parking area in GTA IV.

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  Paying the fare at the Dukes Bay Bridge in GTA Chinatown Wars.

Exploits to avoid payment in GTA IV

• In GTA IV, the player can drive any emergency vehicle through tollbooths legally for free.
• The player can bail out of their car while it's going through the booth, then simply walk to the car on the other side and drive off to avoid paying. This method also works in GTA Chinatown Wars.
• The tolls can be passed slightly faster with the cell phone out, allowing the player to slow down instead of stopping.
• There is a gap between the two sides of the road which can be passed through by thin to average width cars and motorbikes, allowing the player to pass through free of charge.
• Occasionally, if the player drives very fast through the toll booth when no cars are in front, the player might get away without paying.

Trivia

• Once the player pays the toll at a toll booth, the driver's side window will disappear.
• If the player break through a toll booth illegally, the cop within the booth will shout at the player, e.g. "Smile you're on CCTV" or "Get back here you son of a bitch". Some of these soundbites were carried through into GTA Chinatown Wars.
• Toll booths are not permanent structures. They can be knocked out of place by ramming them with a vehicle or through explosions.