Many claim that the EU or the government financed everything, so there should not be tolls. Others just object to tolls, but what are the facts?

Few will forget the uproar when tolls were introduced on the A22. There were protests, some road blocking, some damage to toll equipment and appeals and demands to the local authorities and government. The result, nothing. I believe the government took the view, in time people will get over it and go back to using the motorway. Certainly, for the first few months traffic was almost non-existent, service areas stood almost empty and the EN125 was crowded. But we did get over it, and the A22 is now back to carrying the traffic it was intended for.

Are the motorways a luxury?

One school of thought is that motorways are a luxury. You don’t have to use them, there are free alternatives. Websters dictionary defines luxury as ‘something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary’. There are alternative roads. It’s certainly true that in the Algarve, the EN125 has been greatly improved.

Many people believe that the motorways are financed and run by the government, and therefore should not be subject to tolls. However, the vast majority of the motorway network is run by private ‘business’ and they are financed by bank funding (national and EU). The government provides the land but private industry constructs and operates.

I use the A22 as the tolls are not very expensive and I believe the time saved, the better safety and less wear and tear on your car with a constant cruise speed rather than many gear changes is more economical and relatively stress free.

We also have to accept that these roads need a lot of maintenance. You may have noticed that if you have a breakdown or a problem, there is a free breakdown/assistance service that will be with you quickly to help.

Portugal’s motorway system is a European leader

In Portugal we have 6.72 km per 1,000 people. That’s more than the UK who have 6.33 km per 1,000 people. Despite what you may think, we are well ahead of Germany who have only 2.81 km per 1,000 people. Their autobahn system is highly acclaimed, but Portugal is well ahead.

The National Highway Network had, in 2019, a total length of 3,065 km, of which 2,559 km (83%) were granted to private companies, only 204 km (7 percent) are under the direct management of the government and the remaining 302 km (10 percent) are subcontracted to private companies.

The network consists of 36 different motorways, which are mostly dual carriageway (82 percent). The vast majority of national motorways are tolled (83 percent), there are two distinctly different toll systems: traditional tolls (52 percent) or the exclusively electronic system (alias "gantries", 31 percent). Nevertheless, the entire network is covered by an electronic toll collection system – the Via Verde system – and in all traditional toll barriers there is at least one route dedicated to electronic collection. Most state concession and sub-concession contracts in force have contractual terms of 30 years.

BRISA, expensive but still not profitable

For those of us who live in the Algarve, the A2 is the route of choice to Lisbon. It’s managed by BRISA, and yes, it is very expensive. BRISA announced recently that it plans to invest €65 million in widening works, surface improvements and new stores in service areas. In the same press release, they indicated that toll prices will rise on 30 percent of the roads, with an average rise of 1.57 percent.

BRISA manages a large percentage of Portugal’s motorways, including the A1, A2, A3 and A5. The European Investment Bank has financed approximately €425 million. This was a loan, not a grant. Despite the high tolls BRISA is not making profits. I hope that makes you feel better as you hand over your toll.

Second best in Europe

Portugal is the European Union Member State with the second-best roads of all 28 countries, according to a recent report by the European Commission. They are probably the least crowded (at normal times) and very well maintained.

The A22 is a different matter as it was built, with the aid of EU funds, plus EU loans, figures I found suggest the EU Bank loans accounted for over 80 percent of the development and construction. The government provided the land. It’s different as it was initially built as a toll-free road for vehicles. The initial ‘tolls’ were ‘shadow tolls’, the government paid the concessionaires a fee per vehicle that used the motorway. No doubt the government decided this was a high cost to them, and so should be passed on to the actual user. Compare the toll cost on the A22 with the toll costs on the A2 and its clear to see that the A22 is still dramatically cheaper which may reflect the initial financing.

The installation of a toll collection system was a ‘challenge’. There was no space to build toll booths or widen the road to accommodate them. The only solution they could find was the electronic toll charging system, which has the advantage of speed, but the disadvantage of the problems it caused for visitors and others who don’t have the necessary transponder used to debit your bank account. It’s been ‘problematic’, and still is for some people, especially visitors. It wasn’t the ideal solution, but it works well for most people.

The choice is yours

Perhaps defining the use of the motorways as a luxury is not unreasonable. We pay to use airlines as they are faster, the same goes for busses and trains. Why do we expect the motorways to be free when we have a choice not to use them. They are a ‘private’ business not a government financed (via your taxes) service. I don’t want to drive the old toll-free route to Lisbon, but it’s free, if I want faster and more convenient option, why shouldn’t I be prepared to pay for that service. Food for thought.

Author

Resident in Portugal for 50 years, publishing and writing about Portugal since 1977. Privileged to have seen, firsthand, Portugal progress from a dictatorship (1974) into a stable democracy. 

Paul Luckman