Toll roads ... Fifty years ago, this phrase might have seemed to us something of a series of fiction, but today it is already a reality with which we have to live. For the first time, our compatriots encountered toll roads while traveling in Europe. There autobahns, for which you have to pay for travel, were found everywhere. The only country where this practice was absent was Germany. However, over the past two years there has been a fierce debate on the topic of changing existing legislation for motorists. After all, truck drivers traveling on German roads have long had to pay a certain amount of money. Not every traveler can immediately understand all the nuances of car travel in this country. Therefore, the topic of toll roads in Germany is very popular and relevant. Today we will try to understand this issue and tell readers about how to travel around Europe. The article will provide the latest information on toll roads in Germany (2018), how to pay them and fare.
Car trip in Europe: some features
Our compatriots began to discuss toll roads of Europe and methods of their payment for a long time, because many Russians prefer to travel to European countries in their own car. The first such tourists were surprised to find that part of the expressways is paid. Moreover, this practice is typical for almost all European countries. An exception to the general rule is only eleven countries, including Belgium, the Baltic States and Finland. Interestingly, states where the practice of toll roads has existed for a long time are divided into two categories according to payment methods. In some, it is carried out before direct entry to the highway, while in others, tourists pay the fare in advance when crossing the border. At the same time, they get a special sticker, which is located on the windshield in different places depending on the country. These payment confirmation stickers are called vignettes, and they are required for both locals and foreigners.
It is interesting that a unified system in the European Union, based on the legislative framework, for toll roads in Europe and how to pay for them has not yet been developed. For buses, by the way, in a number of countries, including Germany, there are a number of concessions. They are not put on a par with trucks, which without fail, pay fare. For drivers of passenger vehicles, toll roads in Germany exist only in special sections, which we will talk about a little later.
Many travelers are interested in whether it is possible to avoid expressways during a trip to Europe, and thereby save money. Experienced tourists will answer that this is quite possible. However, it is worth considering that the autobahns are the fastest, most convenient and well-equipped tracks. Moving along them, you will greatly simplify your route, but you will hardly see the country. But the path to the detour will be a little more difficult. You will definitely not understand the intricacies of road junctions without a navigator, and travel time will increase significantly. Therefore, if you are not in a hurry, want to see the country and save at the same time, feel free to enter the phrase “avoid toll roads” in the navigator when building the route and set off on the road. And for those who are limited in time and believe that the shortest distance between two points is a direct line, expressways with a fixed fare are definitely recommended.
Are toll roads in Germany: understanding the intricacies of the issue
If you are planning a trip to this country, then for sure the topic of roads is very relevant for you. After all, the Germans themselves have been debating for several years about the introduction of fares for federal highways for passenger cars. However, many legislative issues have not yet been resolved.
One thing is for sure - toll roads in Germany exist for trucks for sure. And this topic we will devote a separate section of the article. But with cars it is different.
For them, toll roads in Germany are several special sections and an entrance to the center of several cities recognized as an ecological zone. All other routes are absolutely free. But the government has been fighting for the introduction of fares on federal highways for several years. It is expected that the bill adopted by the Bundestag, but not approved by the European Union, will nevertheless be enacted in the middle of this year or by the beginning of next. In general terms, he has repeatedly hit the media, so travelers can guess how much they will have to pay during the trip.
Paid sections of the path
On the maps, toll roads in Germany are not always indicated. But if a tourist is at least superficially preparing for the trip, then he is well aware of such stretches of the path. Moreover, in Germany there are few of them:
- Warnowtunnel.
This tunnel was the first fixed-fare road in the country. It was opened about fifteen years ago and is designed for faster movement between the east and west banks of the Warnow River. The tunnel is dug under it and is located a little north of Rostock. The length of this section of the track is almost eight hundred meters.
Interestingly, in winter and summer, the fare varies. Travelers traveling to Germany on their own for the first time should be aware of this. If you travel by car, not exceeding a height of two meters and five centimeters, or a motorcycle, then in the summer season you will pay for the entrance to the tunnel four euros and ten cents. The summer period lasts from May 1 to October 31. The winter season begins on November 1 and ends on April 30th. At this time, the fare is reduced to three euros and thirty cents.
If you have a trailer or a minibus whose height fits within the set dimensions (from two meters and five centimeters to two meters and sixty centimeters), then in the winter you will pay three euros and eighty cents, and in the summer five euros and ten cents.
The road in the tunnel has four lanes and at the entrance to them you must take into account payment methods. How to pay on toll roads in Germany? It is pretty simple. Many cars have an automatic payment system. Vehicles with a similar option call on the front page. Other drivers can use the second and third lane. Here you can pay in cash or by card. On the second page at the cash desk, banknotes are accepted, but their face value must be less than one hundred euros. On the third lane there is an automatic machine where you can insert coins. The device accepts the following coins: ten, twenty and fifty cents, as well as one and two euros.
Keep in mind that, according to the rules, motorcyclists can only move along the first and second lanes.
I would also like to note the features of card payment. If you plan to make a purchase of less than ten euros, you will be charged an additional fee of thirty-five cents.
2. Herrentunnel.
This tunnel also operates for about fifteen years. It is located under the river Trave and stretches for seven hundred and eighty meters. The tunnel, according to maps, is part of the federal highway connecting two cities - Travemunde and Lübeck.
This section of the track is five-lane. The two extreme right lanes are for drivers paying in cash. The following two are suitable for those who plan to pay with coins through the machine. And finally, the fifth lane - for payment through automatic systems.
Drivers of cars with and without a trailer, as well as motorcyclists for driving on Herrentunnel, depending on the form of payment, will give from one euro and thirty-five cents to one euro and seventy cents. In this case, the dimensions of the car in height should not exceed one meter and thirty centimeters.
For drivers of trucks, buses, minibuses and trailers, other fares are set: from two euros and sixty cents to three euros and ten cents. The listed vehicles in height should not exceed one meter and thirty centimeters.
Please note that at the box office, drivers will not accept banknotes with a face value of more than fifty euros. And in machines you can use only ten-cent coins.
3. Road Robfeldpanoramastrabe.
This track is part of the Berchtesgaden nature reserve and is a panoramic road that lies among the picturesque alpine meadows. It is located almost on the border of Germany and Austria and is open for travel twelve months a year.
The length of the route slightly exceeds fifteen kilometers, for which you must pay according to fixed tariffs. If you are traveling on a motorcycle with or without a passenger, then you will pay back four and a half euros for the fare. For passenger transport with passengers you have to pay eight euros, and for a bus with passengers - fifty-five euros.
Entrance to ecological zones
Many of our compatriots include so-called ecological zones as toll roads in Germany (2018). They are indicated by special road signs with the inscription "Umweltzone".
Only those motorists who have a special sticker can enter such zones. It is mounted on the windshield and is called Plakette. It is noteworthy that if you decide to go round such a zone, you do not need a sticker and you can save money. The very idea of creating ecological zones appeared in connection with massive air pollution with fine dust. As a result, we needed a special system that protects areas that are especially popular with tourists.
Typically, a permit sticker is mounted on glass in specialized garages or at service stations. It costs from five to fifteen euros. The price of entry to paid areas depends on engine power and the environmental class of the car. The methods for acquiring stickers we have listed are suitable for residents of Germany, but foreigners will have to choose another option to get Plakette on their glass. There are only two such methods:
- Electronic. Knowing that during the trip you will have to enter the ecological zone, fill out the electronic form on the state registration website in advance. To get the sticker, you still need to attach a copy of registration documents and paper, which shows the emission standards for your technical equipment. Some time after sending the application, you will receive bank details indicating the amount of payment. It is necessary to add to it another six euros for the processing of securities. The sticker itself will be sent to the addressee by regular mail.
- Vehicle Registration Office in Cologne. It is better to send an application by mail or take it personally if your route involves checking into this city.
Keep in mind that visiting an ecological zone without a permit sticker threatens you with a fine of eighty euros.
Germany toll roads for trucks
Cargo transport entrepreneurs have long been aware that their vehicles can only travel along European federal highways after payment. In Europe, toll roads for trucks are the norm, which, however, does not have common standards. Therefore, each EU country establishes its own rules within the framework of the adopted directive. At the same time, the state itself also sets the length of the toll section of the highway. Many of our compatriots believe that, thanks to the money collected and their purely intended destination, the photos of roads in Germany are encouraging by the absence of pits, potholes, and so are fundamentally different from Russian realities.
The German truck fare system is based on the distance traveled. It applies to all vehicles whose mass exceeds three and a half tons. In addition, in calculating the tariff, many other factors play a role:
- environmental class cars;
- number of axles;
- weight of technical equipment according to the passport.
However, experts believe that this system, despite its popularity, also has drawbacks. They consist in the fact that she does not take into account the mass of cargo that is transported by a car. But he can almost double the dead weight of the truck.
About toll roads for trucks a little more
About fifteen years ago, the German government decided to introduce fares for certain routes. This was done due to an increase in the number of bad roads in Germany. Photos of some of the tracks made during that period resembled wartime and did not at all look like smooth and carefully arranged expressways.
It took approximately four years to create and run the new system, known today as Toll Collect. It is considered the most accurate, complex and technically competent, in addition, it annually brings several billion euros to the state treasury.
Similar amounts are collected through careful monitoring of the trucks. A special unit is mounted on each side. The system “sees” it when the car passes through special frames installed on the highway through equal distances (eighty kilometers). All data is sent to the control center, where kilometers traveled are counted.
The fare on toll roads consists of two parts:
- infrastructure costs;
- toll.
The latter directly depends on the environmental class of the truck. For the highest Euro-6 class, the amount is zero euro, but for the Euro-0 category it is already zero point eighty-three thousandths. In terms of the mileage traveled by the truck for the year, the amount for Euro-0 will be impressive. Infrastructure costs are almost always the same. For example, for a five-axle truck they will be zero point and one hundred and thirty-five thousandths of a euro.
Payment options
How to pay for toll roads in Germany? The Toll Collect system provides three easy ways:
If you rarely use paid sections of the route, then you may well choose the manual payment option for yourself. For this, about four thousand terminals are installed in Germany. Having approached them, the driver must choose a route, indicating the start and end point of the path, toll road, time corridor and vehicle data. This process takes no more than five minutes and as a result, the driver becomes the owner of a ticket registered in the system.
The fare is calculated automatically and paid immediately by bank or fuel card or in cash. It is noteworthy that the time corridor indicated by the driver, the system can increase or decrease. Since it takes into account the presence of traffic jams, congestion, speed, and many other factors.
Electronic payment method
If it is easier for you to carry out all the manipulations via the Internet, then register your vehicle in the system. In this case, the driver receives a special card, which contains all the necessary data about the truck.
When approaching the terminal, he simply inserts a map into it and enters a route. The whole procedure takes just a few seconds. In addition to the driver, the transport company employee can also carry out the route entry process remotely. With this approach, the person managing the transport does not need to perform any action. Everything will already be entered via the Internet and paid in the same way.
Automatic payment option
Companies whose trucks often travel on toll roads usually use an automatic payment system. To do this, they install a special tracking unit, consisting of several modules, on board the vehicle. After that, the truck will be monitored by the system.
With this approach, there are several payment methods:
- Advance. The owner of the car transfers a certain amount of money to the Toll Collect account and receives a printout of the mileage traveled and the funds debited within a month.
- Credit card.
- Fuel company. The toll road is paid by the fuel company and then invoices, indicating the commission to the truck owner.
- Postpaid. This option is available only to large companies. Toll Collect.
, . , , , , .
. , - , – .