Road transport is relatively cheap when it comes to not too long distances. Their cost is affected only by the depreciation of the cars themselves and the fuel. However, recently logisticians can also include tolls in tolls on toll roads. But, as a rule, the tracks are worth it.
Toll roads
There are two main views on the problem of additional fees for travel in certain sections: one side considers this to be unfair, since there is a transport tax in the Russian Federation, the funds from which should go to the construction of highways, while others regard this as a completely normal phenomenon.
Despite the fact that the appearance of paid sites has become systematic only recently, this is far from an invention of the 21st century, even for Russia. Initially, travel for money was practiced on small segments in the Voronezh, Lipetsk, Saratov, Pskov regions. But due to unprofitability and for some other reasons, this initiative did not receive proper development.
Work mechanism
Why are toll roads needed and how does it work at all? The initial goal is to shift the costs of building, maintaining and reconstructing the roads, at least partially, to the motorists themselves. There are several systems by which payment can be made.
Firstly, these are special stickers called vignettes or stickers. This is a kind of pass to toll roads in Europe, the absence of which threatens a fine. For a relatively low cost, depending on the duration of the subscription, the traveler can purchase a sticker at any gas station in the border zone - even in the European Union there is still no single system.
The second way - special checkpoints at the entrance, where payment takes place. This method, for example, is used in Russia, where so far there are not many toll routes. So far, Italy, Belarus, Poland, France, Croatia, Serbia, the Netherlands and some other European countries with a small number of such sites adhere to the same system.
Advantages and disadvantages
Toll roads are almost always - these are high-speed highways with good coverage. Yes, there are usually free travel options. But they are either not very convenient and have a large number of interchanges, or the movement along them is much more intense, as a result of which the average speed is significantly reduced.
The second plus that toll roads have is their maximum efficiency and safety. A detour can be elementary too long.
True, there are also disadvantages. One of the most significant is the poorly developed system of accepting contributions, which provokes congestion at the entrances to such sites. Fortunately, this drawback can be corrected by creating electronic payment methods or at least automating the operation of checkpoints. The latter will reduce costs, since you do not have to spend money on salaries for cashiers, eliminate the human factor and reduce the processing time of each payment.
World experience
Now in full swing is the development of toll road networks around the world: in Australia, North and South America, Asia, Africa. In some countries, you will have to fork out for travel on any toll road, in others there are only a couple of such sites. In some places, for example, entry into the center of megacities is also paid, which is a measure to stimulate the use of public transport and an attempt to get rid of traffic jams. Both options in one way or another show their success, so that the Russian Federation may well want to introduce toll roads in the center of million-plus cities, if necessary.
In Russia
In 2007, a law was signed that legalized the appearance of toll roads in the presence of understudies. However, the first such site appeared only in 2010 as an experiment, and at first it seemed completely disastrous. Drivers lost checks, and they had to pay twice, sometimes they even refused to do this, considering the cost too high. This, as well as the novelty of the procedure itself, created serious congestion in front of the checkpoints.
And now, with the introduction of each new section, motorists are not happy. There are two reasons for this: the board in general, as well as traffic jams in front of the points of its reception. However, it is expected that over time the situation will become familiar, but for now, the most promising is the development of an electronic system of charging money for travel using special devices - transponders. True, the problem is that they do not yet operate in all areas.
Over time, Russians are expected to appreciate the convenience of toll roads. Compare the speed of travel on the under construction highway M11 Moscow-Petersburg. The train travels the distance between the two capitals in about 8-10 hours, if it’s not Sapsan, and the car will be able to drive it in 4.5 hours, if the restriction, as the authorities promise, will be 150 km / h throughout.
Valid for 2015
While toll roads on the map do not take up much space, you can rather stumble upon them by chance, even in Belarus the length of toll roads is longer. However, the Ministry of Transport has very serious plans for the development of the network, which so far is just over 450 kilometers across the entire territory of Russia.
In December 2015, the situation is as follows:
- Toll road "Don" M4 - several sections with a total length of about 340 kilometers.
- M1 - 20 km connecting the exit from the capital and the Minsk highway bypassing the city of Odintsovo.
- The M11 section from the Moscow Ring Road to Sheremetyevo, as well as bypassing the Vyshny Volochyok, in the future the route will reach St. Petersburg and will become fully paid.
- Western High Speed Diameter (WHSD) is a route passing through St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
Obviously, this is still very little, but the government plans to increase the length of roads on a reimbursable basis by the end of 2016 to 3 thousand kilometers.
Tariffs
The cost of the toll road is always differentiated for different types of vehicles, and in some cases also depends on the time of day. At first glance, the tariffs may seem very high, but if you compare them with the European ones, you can conclude that the price is quite fair. Again, as an example, we can take the already mentioned Moscow-Petersburg route.
A train on this route, if it is not branded, costs from 1 thousand rubles. Given that it will take much more time for this method, and a suitable train can leave at an inconvenient time or cost more, it is obvious that travel on a toll road, which, according to forecasts, will cost about the same, will be more profitable. In addition, those who want to save a little can install a transponder, which gives a small, but very pleasant discount.
In the meantime, we hope that some subscriptions will be introduced, because the price is about 500 rubles per section from Moscow to Solnechnogorsk during peak hours - this still does not look fair.
For trucks
November 2015 was a blow for many carriers, because in the middle of the month, without any transitional periods, a fare payment system was introduced for trucks with a gross weight of over 12 tons on all federal highways. This caused a serious public outcry, since the costs of logistics companies rose sharply - now you will have to pay 1.5 rubles per kilometer before the end of February 2016, and later - a little more than 3 rubles for the same distance, so that travel on a toll road can become some inappropriate luxury.
The system, called the Plato, was criticized because its work was still very unstable, and subsequently many carriers who honestly paid fares still got fines due to technical failures. In addition, the methods by which this can be done are not yet too numerous and quite inconvenient. The controversial point is that after paying for a certain route it is impossible to change it. In short, the system still has to go through numerous changes in order to become truly useful.
Development prospects
Basically, the authorities talk about the active construction of new tracks for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In addition, over time it is planned that Russian toll roads will enter long international routes, covering the capitals of Western Europe, the CIS, and then going to Iran, China and India.
Well, it is quite possible that with proper quality and service, as well as a fair pricing policy, these autobahns will be in serious demand by both foreigners and the Russians themselves.