Toll roads
Tribute for using the road is also known in Greek mythology: even the gloomy helmsman of the last journey, Charon charged a fee from the souls of the dead for transporting through the Styx. In those days, the refusal to pay tolls turned for the unfortunate man into eternal wandering between the worlds of the living and the dead.
In fact, the same principle has long been implemented in the vastness of the Roman Empire. The construction of the road involved the subsequent collection of tribute from trade traffic by local landowners. The alternative was hell off-road and crime. Now motorists also have a choice: each toll road has an understudy. However, as a rule, this is a narrower and slower route passing through numerous settlements, often overloaded with heavy trucks and agricultural machinery, which has no place on the freeway.
Since 2006, tolls in the EU have been a guarantee of free movement and well-established infrastructure, regulated by Directive 2006/38 / EC. It implies the presence of emergency warning, refueling every 20 km, protection from crosswinds, etc. On the table with European parliamentarians is already a new project, the essence of which is the expansion of the network, as well as the inclusion of costs due to environmental pollution and increased noise.
So far, not a single kilometer of toll roads is available in Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Vatican, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Cyprus and Malta. But mainly visitors benefit from this - financing of the exemplary content of national routes here is included in the tax burden of citizens. And the density of roads in these countries is lower than that of neighbors.
In Germany, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and Latvia, sometimes you will have to fork out for travel through tunnels, bridges and other expensive engineering structures. The smallest bribe for highways is requested in Norway - on average 4 euro cents (1.6 rubles) per 1 km - almost like in Russia (about 1 ruble). Polish roads are also very accessible - 5 euro cents.
The highest fare in the UK is 18 cents, but there are few such roads. The highest concentration of paid sites is in France, Italy and Spain. And you can’t always find fast ways to get around for free. Eastern Europe, as well as Austria and Switzerland, act in a different way: they offer to buy a sticker on the windshield, which is valid on the entire network of expressways. The minimum price is approximately 5 euros for a weekly “subscription”.
A number of researchers read good prospects for a toll road system. The reason is the growing growth rate of the vehicle fleet and the constant need for expansion and reconstruction of roads. Even Germany, the richest country in the European Union, is considering introducing a fee for using the autobahns. State funds to maintain them in the required condition are no longer enough …
