“Putevi Srbije” against “resourceful” truck drivers

Public enterprise “Putevi Srbije” has found a way to solve the issue with truck drivers who bypass highways, thus avoiding toll payment, the Politika daily reports.

Carriers thus save money but state is paying a high price. Vehicles which weight is measured in tons not only damage the asphalt but its foundation as well, as it is deformed under excessive load.

At that point pothole patching as well as new layers of asphalt will not fix the problem, and road builders also mention jeopardized traffic safety and pollution. That problem will be more and more noticeable with increase in economic activity and accompanying transportation of merchandize and raw materials. Unfortunately we now have an absurd situation that state uses income from toll payment to fix damage made by cargo vehicles, instead of using it for regular maintenance of existing and construction of new roads. You will agree that this is beyond any viable logic, Executive Director of the Toll Payment Sector at public enterprise “Putevi Srbije” Milenko Cakovic says.

According to him, in the beginning, only trucks that weigh 12 and more tons would have to pay the toll for cargo vehicles on state-owned roads, provided that state approves implementation of this project. The plan subsequently stipulates that trucks that weigh more than 3.5 tons will also pay the toll.

Izvor: Politika

Foto: Beta