The Republic of Poland is a country in the eastern part of Central Europe, with a population (as of 2015) of thirty-eight and a half million people. Despite the fact that in the past ten to twelve years its economy has been booming, Poland for the most part still remains a so-called transit country. If you look at the world map, it becomes obvious that the main passenger and freight traffic between Asia and Europe converges in this place, therefore toll roads in Poland are an opportunity to quickly and inexpensively transit this rather big country in transit.
Transport corridor
Tracking logistic paths is quite simple. Due to the aggravation of political and economic situations in Ukraine and Turkey, these two automobile corridors can be said to be practically closed. Therefore, the main stream of trucks and car tourists converge in the last of the possible travel options to the central part of Europe - to the Republic of Belarus. The bulk of the cargo flow from Central Asian countries, for example, from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and other former Soviet republics, goes through Russia, Moscow, then to Belarus, Minsk and Brest. And from Brest, goods continue on their way through Poland. From the Baltic states, the only way, for example, to the Balkans, also runs through the border of the papacy.
Are there toll roads in Poland?
Many people ask this question, going on the road and paving their route to their destination. The answer is simple - yes. But so far there are very few of them: only three. Highways with an increased level of comfort are becoming more and more every year in the country, but so far they have to pay for their passage only on the A1, A2 and A4 highways. And even then, not in all areas, but only in the busiest, with heavy traffic and increased wear of the road surface. Despite the relatively high cost of the tariff schedule, toll roads in Poland are in high demand, and traffic jams often occur at the toll point, and sometimes, as a rule, during rush hours and traffic jams.
Even before approaching the paid site, drivers following the route are warned several times about payment (pobor opΕat). The fundraising itself is carried out at specialized posts along the way, but, as a rule, when leaving the paid site or when passing through the checkpoint. Even before entering toll roads in Poland, drivers always have the opportunity to leave the highway and go to its free counterpart. Moving around it will not be so comfortable, travel time will increase, but you will not have to spend money paying for travel.
A1 motorway
To enter the A1 and A2 toll roads, the driver needs to take a ticket, wait for the barrier to open and continue driving. Information on the point of entry to the highway is recorded on the ticket. The calculation of the fare depends on the type of vehicle (motorcycles, cars, cars with a trailer, buses, trucks) and the distance traveled. Along the A1 highway, there are ten payment checkpoints along its entire length.
The maximum fare for a passenger car here will be 29.90 Polish zlotys (about 7 euros, or 500 Russian rubles), for a passenger car with a trailer - 71 zlotys (16.6 euros, or 1200 rubles). You can pay by cash or plastic (credit or debit) card. When paying in cash, both national currency, Euro, and American dollars are accepted, but the latter are only in banknotes (coins are not accepted) and with a face value of not more than 100.
Payment on the routes A2 and A4
The cost of toll roads in Poland is lower than in Spain, France or Italy (where a similar payment method is used). However, for the local population it is still quite high, so transit drivers or long-distance truckers usually use such highways.
A similar situation is on the A2 highway, which runs through the whole country and is a continuation of the route from Moscow through Minsk, Brest to Berlin and further to Central Europe. There are four paid sections on A2, they start from Lodz and go almost to the border with Germany. The total fare on this route for a car with two axles will be 54 Polish zlotys and ten pennies. In euro equivalent, this amount is 12.5 euros or 880 Russian rubles. At the entrance to each paid site, the driver will need to take a ticket, and upon departure, pay for the kilometers traveled.
On another toll road - A4, connecting such large cities as Krakow, Katowice and Wroclaw (Breslau), drivers have to pay at each checkpoint for collecting money (there are only two of them: in Myslowice and in Balice). Next, you will have to pay for the fare based on the tariff of 10 Polish pennies (2.5 euro cents or 1.6 Russian rubles) per kilometer.
Infrastructure
Toll roads in Poland for cars are a little more comfortable than for the rest of the type of transport. This is connected not only with the infrastructure of gas stations, shops, cafes, but also with the layout of recreational areas, places for recreation and the organization of entrances to them. The road network itself and the interchange scheme are no worse than neighboring, more developed countries. Drivers are offered modern gas stations of well-known brands (Shell, OMV, BP, Orlen, etc.), fast food restaurants (McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, etc.), as well as hotel rooms of the European level of service. Recreation areas for independent overnight stays, camping, as well as stations for servicing campers are equipped.
Driving directions
Drivers approaching the collection sites for the first time in their lives have a slight panic, and they have one single question in their head: "How do I pay toll roads in Poland?" And this is no accident, because the highway is expanding sharply, and before the eyes of a motorist there are from ten to sixteen posts of stationary payment. And almost every one of them has a line of cars.
The most important thing here is not to get nervous, but to study the graphic information from the shields installed above each of the terminals. Basically, such items are divided into those that work with cash (the image of coins and / or banknotes), with plastic cards (the image of the card, usually with the inscription VISA), with special pass cards (the image of specialized cards with the inscription PASS or other ), travel using a transponder (image of radio waves and signature viaToll, TELEPASS or another). Your option is the first two. Experienced travelers are advised to go where they accept cash, because there, as a rule, an employee sits there, who in extreme cases will be able to help you, prompting further actions.
Toll roads in Poland are very easy to use, judging by the numerous reviews of car tourists. Many note that it is worth driving through any of them just once, and immediately stops scaring the abundance of terminals and payment methods. Also, the reviews tell that the payment is fast. Drivers from other countries praise the ability to pay in euros and US dollars. The most important thing is to remember (this is what the reviews say) that the ticket must be kept until you leave the paid site. If the ticket is lost, the driver will be charged at the maximum tariff rate.