A scenic highway in rural Hebei Province likened to the U.S.' iconic Route-66 is now charging tourists to take a peek - and drivers are calling for officials to give them a break.
Officials in charge of the Zhangbei Highway started the 50-yuan ($7.7) toll charge on April 30 to pay for upkeep while making it still affordable to tourists, Hou Weijun, deputy head of the local tourism bureau, wrote the Beijing News.
Dubbed Caoyuan Tianlu, or Grassland Sky Road, the 130-kilometer stretch between Yehu Ling and Chongli county is known for its picturesque and romantic scenery.
The road's recent popularity has inspired comparisons to the famous Route 66 in the U.S., which extends from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
More than 4 million tourists traveled along this stretch from January to September in 2015, local paper Zhangjiakou Daily reported.
However, the fee sparked criticism among many, particularly locals, who use the road on a regular basis.
An online poll of 11,368 users on news website ifeng.com found that over 78 percent said the fee was unreasonable.
Around 58 percent said the fee was "disgusting" and argued the policy actually discouraged tourism.
