Last year, 62.5 million vehicles passed through Serbian highways, which is 13.5 million more than in 2020. The record from the year before the crown was also broken, when 56.9 million vehicles paid the toll in 2019. In the past ten years, the number of vehicles with our first-class roads has almost doubled, because in 2011, 34.1 million vehicles passed through them. The total income from toll collection last year was 33 billion dinars, which is an increase of 28.2 percent compared to 2020.
According to Euronews, the highest traffic was recorded on the longest and busiest Corridor 10, because its southern or eastern branch was used by every other vehicle that passed through Serbia.
– The total turnover of vehicles in 2021 was 62,456,619, of which 48,888,814 were cars, while there were 13,567,805 trucks and buses. The largest number of passages was recorded on the section of the highway Belgrade-Presevo-Dimitrovgrad, 32,054,893 vehicles – they say for Euronews in the PE “Roads of Serbia”.
In previous years, the average number of vehicles on Serbian roads increased by about five percent. Data from the annual report “Roads of Serbia” show that in 2019, 56,878,438 vehicles passed through toll plazas, while a year ago there were 52,723,465.
For 2020, the growth trend was expected to continue, given that new sections of Serbian corridors were opened in the months leading up to the epidemic. A closed toll system has been established on the highway from Doljevac to the border of Northern Macedonia, on June 15, 2019, on the highway from Obrenovac to Preljina, on September 1, 2019 and on the highway from Nis to Doljevac and from Nis to the border of Macedonia, on January 16, 2020. That year, however, about 48,787,560 vehicles passed, ie about eight million vehicles less than in 2019, and 1.5 billion dinars less than the toll was collected. As a percentage, a decline of 16.6 percent was recorded.
Data for last year now show not only that the number of vehicles returned to the period before the pandemic, but that more vehicles never passed on Serbian highways.
– Although the crown is still going on and is putting pressure on the economy, the traffic has returned to our roads, primarily to highways and expressways. It is about 30 percent higher than in 2020. We expect this trend to improve and that is why we are building all these highways. This year, we plan to open 130 kilometers of highways and expect even more traffic – said Tomislav Momirovic, Minister of Transport, for Euronews Serbia.
It was announced that the construction of the section Pakovraća – Požega on the “Miloš Veliki” highway will be completed by the end of the year, as well as eight kilometers on the route from New Belgrade to Surčin, which will more efficiently connect the capital with this road. The Ministry of Construction also announces the final commissioning of the remaining sectors of the bypass around Belgrade to Bubanj Potok, in the total length of about 21 kilometers, as well as 18 kilometers of fast expressway from Valjevo to Lajkovac. Sector 1 of the 27.4-kilometer-long Moravian Corridor from Pojat to Krusevac should also be completed by the end of the year.
During 2021, toll collection was performed on highways with a total length of 819.68 kilometers, at 65 toll stations. The increase in the number of vehicles that have passed the roads is not a big surprise, if we keep in mind that, according to the official data of “Roads of Serbia”, the number of kilometers on which tolls are charged has increased by about 250 in the past five years.
In 2016, the fee for the use of highways was paid at 570.9 kilometers, in 2017 there were 610.2, and in 2018 it increased to 645.67. Most kilometers of highways were completed during 2019, when tolls began to be collected on a total of 777.56 kilometers, and a year later the number of kilometers increased to 819.68.
During the last year, no new section was opened, but from the beginning of 2022, the part from Preljina to Pakovraća on the “Miloš Veliki” Highway was opened. There is no additional toll on this section, but the exit on this toll ramp costs drivers the same as if they had turned off in Preljina, Morava writes.
