Discontent truckers continue protests against toll system

Small and medium-sized trucking firms and the newly established Union of Slovak Motor Carriers (UNAS) continue collecting signatures for their petition initiative against the electronic toll collection system, the SITA newswire reported.

Small and medium-sized trucking firms and the newly established Union of Slovak Motor Carriers (UNAS) continue collecting signatures for their petition initiative against the electronic toll collection system, the SITA newswire reported.

They are preparing more actions in order to acquire support for their demands and said they will protest not only at petrol stations but also at departments stores and through other initiatives, UNAS's Jaroslav Polaček told SITA on January 7, adding that the truckers would like to collect at least 100,000 signatures.

The first day of the protest initiative at petrol stations across Slovakia brought over 20,000 signatures. Polaček said they have waited for the position of Transport Minister Ľubomír Vážny that he should take at his news conference on Thursday afternoon and would decide on further moves accordingly.

Small and medium-sized hauliers have blocked the crossroads of Rožňavská Street in Bratislava, in the direction heading to the city centre. Originally, they wanted to make a common trip through the whole capital, but shortly after their arrival in Bratislava, the traffic police prevented them from doing so.

Polaček said the ministry had not promised new talks about their requirements. Transport operators appealed to the minister to hold further discussion at their last press conference on January 5. The previous round of talks on December 30 was fruitless, as the minister rejected all eleven requirements presented by hauliers.

UNAS delivered letters to parliament asking it to discuss their four demands in fast-track legislative proceedings, including reduction of excise tax on motor fuels to the average rate in neighbouring countries, a decrease in the road tax as a compensation for the introduction of electronic toll collection, a suspension of the e-toll system until the map of charged first-category roads is redrafted and fees to apply only to selected sections, and marking of all charged sections with information boards. SITA

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.

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