Croatia is expecting significant changes in toll collection, with the main novelty being that tolls will no longer be payable in cash. The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has released for public consultation the Impact Assessment Form for the Draft Proposal of the Law on Toll Collection, which clearly states that the possibility of paying tolls in cash is excluded, marking the first step towards the elimination of traditional toll booths.
Significant changes in toll collection are expected in Croatia, which should be implemented as early as next year. The primary change will be the abolition of traditional toll booths and cash payments for tolls, introducing a complete electronic toll collection system that operates on the principle of free vehicle flow. According to announcements, the system will be based on ENC devices and automatic license plate recognition technology (cameras, ALPR technology). Vehicles will pass without stopping, and tolls will be calculated through these technologies.
A contract has been signed with representatives of the consortium of the Slovak company Sky Toll and the Czech company TollNet for the development of a new system worth 80 million euros, which will be financed from NPOO funds. If everything goes well, the installation of 208 toll portals at highway junctions and the procurement of 74 mobile units for collection and control are planned. The system will simultaneously cover the HAC network as well as the highways under concession, creating a unified toll collection system across the entire highway network in Croatia. Additionally, penalties for attempts to evade toll payments will be thoroughly regulated.
The government, as stated in the Impact Assessment Form for the draft proposal of the Law on Toll Collection, has envisaged the introduction of an electronic toll collection system in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
– The mentioned electronic toll collection system is based on selected technologies (and not on all technologies permitted by Directive 2019/520 and the Road Act), excludes the possibility of paying tolls in cash, and introduces the obligation for all freight vehicles and motorcycles to use an in-vehicle device for toll payment, which will enable free traffic flow without stopping vehicles for toll collection. Due to the free traffic flow, it is necessary to regulate the issue of toll payment supervision – states the form, which is open for public consultation until October 15.
