Year 2023 the election year. No wonder, then, that changes are now being made, which are supposed to improve the situation of voters... I mean, citizens. On this occasion it is worth to look forward to the proposed changes in transport.
First, worth discussing the issue of toll state highways, very possibly from 1 July This year, free of charge, at least for a large number of people, because the draft law amending the Highways Act and the National Road Fund and some other laws aims to abolish toll collection on motorways and motorcycles.
According to Article 37a(1a) Toll motorway laws and the National Road Fund, motorway tolls may be collected:
- Head of the National Tax Administration,
- Road special purpose vehicle under the terms of the contract in question under Article 6(1) Act dated 12 January 2007 on road special purpose companies[1] or the contractor in question under Article 9(3) that bill[2];
a company with which the General Director of National Roads and Motorways or a road special purpose vehicle has concluded a contract for the construction and operation of the motorway or only for the operation of the motorway, under the conditions laid down in that contract.
In turn Article 37a(6) establish categories of vehicles to determine toll rates for tolls by highway. And these are:
- category 1 – motorcycles,
- category 2 - Vehicles with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes,
- category 3 - Vehicles with a maximum permissible mass above 3.5 tonnes and below 12 tonnes,
- category 4 - Vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of at least 12 tonnes,
- category 5 - buses.
In addition, what is worth mentioning, Head of the KAS based on Article 13(1)(3) Public Roads Act, charges for tolls on the roads of domestic motor vehicles, as defined Article 2(33) Act dated 20 June 1997 - Road traffic law, which is also considered to be a combination of vehicles consisting of a motor vehicle and a trailer or semi-trailer with a maximum permissible weight above 3.5 tonnes, including buses regardless of their permissible total mass.
As noted in the Project for the amendment of the Highways Act and the National Road Fund and some other laws, in practice the Head of the KAS currently charges on the A motorway[2] Konin — Stryków and A[4] Wrocław – Sośnica.
This project provides for the cancellation of toll collection on sections managed by the General Director of National Roads and Motorways on motor vehicles with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 3.5 Tons, including motorcycles. In turn, the head of the KAS is expected to continue to charge a fee on motor vehicles with a maximum permissible weight above 3.5 Tonnes and buses moving these sections of highways under regulations Act dated 21 March 1985 About public roads.
According to the draft law: "Thanks to these legislative changes, citizens will be granted free access to the national roads of the highest classes, i.e. highways, some of which have been paid so far.
The overarching objective is to maintain or even increase the communication capacity of citizens and reduce the actual expenditure borne by passenger car drivers. Lack of payment will mean that above 1300 km of motorway networks managed by the public side of the driver of passenger vehicles will move freely, without having to pay fees.
In the coming years, the aim will be to fully harmonise the road toll system in Poland." The facilitation of citizens' movements is commendable, but can the ambitious plans described above be implemented within a year? Time will tell.
The bill amending the Public Collective Transport Act and some other laws is another attempt to reduce the problem of so-called communication exclusion, i.e. very limited or even depriving public transport (e.g. due to the destruction of non-profit transport lines by carriers).
For this reason, a public service bus development fund was created, which was introduced by the Public Service Bus Development Fund Act, whose provisions entered into force 18 July 2019 In general, from 2024, the planned revenue of the above Fund is to increase from 800,000,000 PLN to 1,000,000,000 PLN.
In addition to the above, the bill amending the Public Collective Transport Act and some other laws also provides for the following changes:
- the possibility for the Voivoda to conclude multi-annual subsidies from the Fund for the development of bus services with the organizer of public transport,
- maintaining the possibility for carriers which are not operators of public collective transport to seek State budget subsidies for the application of statutory tolls,
The infrastructure manager will receive funding from the State budget for the loss of revenue due to the absence or reduction of fees.
These proposals aim to make public transport more efficient. Given the current communication problems of some areas of the country, the idea behind the project is absolutely right.
We can only hope that these solutions will not just be unfulfilled electoral promises.
[1] This is an agreement defining the scope and conditions for preparing or implementing a road project.
[2] It's the contractor with whom the road operation contract was concluded.