Kilometer -dependent toll: fair or expensive for drivers in Austria?

Kilometer -dependent toll: fair or expensive for drivers in Austria?

In the debate about the toll catchment system in Austria, there are increasingly discussing two concepts: the widespread vignette and the lesser known route -dependent toll. While the vignette charges a flat -rate fee for the use of all motorways and expressways subject to vignette over a certain period of time, the toll is calculated after kilometers. Christian Gratzer from the Verkehrsclub Austria argues that a toll -dependent toll is fairer because it adapts the fee after the actual use of the road network, in contrast to the vignette, which treats all drivers equally, regardless of their frequency of use. According to Gratzer, households with higher incomes in particular benefit from the current vignette prices, since they tend to be on the highways more often, while few drivers are burdened unquivalent.

The discussion is exciting by the statements of the ÖAMTC, represented by press spokesman Jürgen Wagner. He sees no need to change the existing vignette system and warns that a kilometer -dependent toll could be expensive for few drivers. For frequent drivers, on the other hand, such a change could bring higher costs of up to 600 euros per year. Wagner also fears that an adaptation of the toll guidelines could bring many drivers to avoid increasingly on state and community roads, which could cause additional problems, such as Europeanaut explained.

vignette contra -route toll

The vignette, which serves as proof of the payment of the motorway use, can either be purchased as a sticker or digitally and is valid for a specified period. In contrast, the route -dependent toll requires paying a fee for specific route sections, such as tunnels or bridges, based on the route. These are reflected in both the kilometers used and the infrastructure and environmental costs. The toll rate varies from country to country, whereby Austria is one of the countries in which both the vignette and the possibility of the route -dependent toll exists, as reports.