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- Judith finsterbusch
Updated: 05.11.2021 10:14
driving in spain
spain introduces tolls on all freeways: revenue for maintenance
Spain plans to introduce tolls on all freeways and to introduce a new tariff model for this purpose. Charging could be based on kilometers.
Madrid – the ministry of transport is working on a new toll model for spain’s freeways. Transport Minister raquel Sanchez does not want to talk about tolls or "peaje" in Spanish but speak of a "tariff model for freeways". But the result for drivers will be similar: they will have to pay to use the highways.
Spain introduces tolls on freeways: tariff model is already in the works
"it makes no sense that the maintenance of this infrastructure continues to be paid for through the taxes of all spanish people. Citizens have much more urgent needs, for example in social policy," said transport secretary general sergio vazquez. secretary of state isabel pardo de la vera added: "we need a solution to the growing deficit in the maintenance of the spanish highway network."since may, spain has already been working on a new toll model that is to apply to all freeways, i.e. autovIas and autopistas.
The government wants to meet the EU’s demand by 2024 and finance the maintenance of the highways through tolls. From then on, driving a car in spain will be more expensive. In advance, the ministry of transport in madrid intends to enter into negotiations with the sectors and regions concerned over the next few months. In addition, before the introduction of the toll, there should be a campaign to raise awareness among the population – the project naturally meets with opposition on resistance. Only in may, spain introduced a major change for car drivers with the new speed limits.
New toll in spain: charging by the kilometer?
It is not yet clear how the new toll will be settled. Among the systems under discussion is the portuguese model, which charges by the kilometer on the freeway. But a vignette for an annual amount would also be conceivable. The new freeway toll in spain, however, is not supposed to be as high as it was a few years ago, for example, on the AP-7 freeway, which also runs along the costa blanca. The AP-7 is no longer subject to tolls between alicante and the french border.
The future toll on spanish highways is already heating up people’s minds, even though the fee will probably not be levied before 2024. For example, Salvador Navarro, president of the Valencian Confederation of Businesses (CEV), on Wednesday flatly rejected the introduction of the freeway toll. "until the mediterranean train route is operational, goods will inevitably have to be exported by truck. The toll would mean additional costs for the manufacturers," says the company’s president.