As far as I know,since Germany pulled out of the Eurovignette system to start their own Toll Collect,only Holland,Belgium,Luxembourg,Denmark & Sweden are in it.
Now,since it’s been several years since I’ve been to Denmark or Sweden I’m not sure what the state of the roads are there now,but they were always good then,even with the severe winter’s they have in Sweden.
In Holland,the majority of the motorway network is good,even if it is somewhat bumpy,but that’s due to the fact that half the country has been reclaimed from the sea.
Belgium,well,the roads are in a disgusting state,particularly in Wallonie such as the E42,E411 and E25 not to mention the E40 near Liege.
The Eurovignette was introduced to claim money from trucks that were causing damage to roads,whether they be from their home country or others such as the former Eastern Bloc states which were transiting.
So where does the money go? How is it divided between the five countries that are members? If it is divided equally,then surely that is not fair,as the Benelux countries take a huge amount more of transiting trucks than Sweden or Denmark.
I think the problem is that the whole country is basically broke, with little or no money available to invest in the infrastructure.
So, if any of the revenue generated by the Eurovignette is actually invested in the road network and is not syphoned off for other purposes, it is probable that it is only sufficient to provide some rudimentary patch up work.
Let’s face it, 8€ wouldn’t get you more than about 20 klicks down the Autobahn or Autoroute, so the Eurovignette revenue, shared out between 5 countries, isn’t going to compare with the revenue earned from the toll systems in Germany, France, Austria, etc.
They would probably like to bail out of the Eurovignette system and set up their own (obviously more expensive) system in order to generate more income but with the road network in its present sorry state and the chronic lack of funds to set up such a system, that would be a non starter.
So, we will continue to have to stump up our 8€ per day and keep a weather eye out for pesky potholes for the foreseeable future…
It probabley goes in the same direction as our road tax
Anywhere but on the roads
Although this artical is old it is still pretty accurate in it’s assumptions, apart from the cost is even higher to motorists today
It should come as no surprise to learn that, according to figures compiled by the transport pressure group Transport-Watch, after taking into account government expenditure on the road network, road users presently give the Treasury net receipts of £30 billion per year.
In other words, motorists are helping to fund a huge array of government expenditure via fuel duty, road tax and VAT on petrol.
jimti:
It probabley goes in the same direction as our road tax
Anywhere but on the roads
Although this artical is old it is still pretty accurate in it’s assumptions, apart from the cost is even higher to motorists today
It should come as no surprise to learn that, according to figures compiled by the transport pressure group Transport-Watch, after taking into account government expenditure on the road network, road users presently give the Treasury net receipts of £30 billion per year.
In other words, motorists are helping to fund a huge array of government expenditure via fuel duty, road tax and VAT on petrol.
Of the £31 billion that the Government raises annually in motoring taxation (even without taking account of corporation tax on car manufacturers and retailers), only £7 billion is spent on road
That is in the UK of course , but I too would be interested to see how the €8 is divided between the five countries fairly
Here’s a case in point,the E313 viaduct at Bassenge between Tongeren and Liege…
They started ripping this up around six years ago,they seemed to work on it for about two years then it just all came to a halt.
And it’s been like this ever since,there’s even grass growing now on the carriageway.
It’s only just across the line which seperates Vlaanderen from Wallonie,if it was a couple of kliks back then it would have been finished long ago.
I went past here for the 1st time in a couple of years last week (I was sneaking into Maastricht the back way to avoid the early morning traffic at the lights on the A2 ) and was thinking to myself that it looks as though this site hasn’t been touched since I was last down this way.
KW:
It’s only just across the line which seperates Vlaanderen from Wallonie,if it was a couple of kliks back then it would have been finished long ago.
You really don’t have much time for the Wallonians, do you, Keith
I am with Keith , i dislike these wannabe Kermits , the douane and the other enforcement officers I have meet are one of the lowest forms of life that unfortunately can survive a nuclear blast ,
Inselaffe:
You really don’t have much time for the Wallonians, do you, Keith
Well,now you come to mention it.
No.
maybe with the latest election results there will be more of a chance of the walloons joining onto france and the flemish becoming part of netherlands, wouldn’t that make things easier for the truckers of europe
brit pete: I am with Keith , i dislike these wannabe Kermits , the douane and the other enforcement officers I have meet are one of the lowest forms of life that unfortunately can survive a nuclear blast ,
You’re not wrong there Pete,I was in a parking a while ago on the E25 in the Ardennes having a bite to eat when in rolls the jolly Douane van.
They banged on my door asking for my cmr,so I handed it out of the window.Now they could see I was eating,but insisted I get out and open the trailer doors so they could have a look inside.Ignorant swines.
) and was thinking to myself that it looks as though this site hasn’t been touched since I was last down this way.
