The first toll road in Russia. Quality of Russian roads

Popular wisdom says:"There are two misfortunes in Russia - fools and roads." To agree or not with this popular expression is everyone’s personal choice. But hardly anyone will argue with the fact that without good autobahns in the future, such a huge country simply cannot exist. It is the roads, or, as they are now called federal highways, that unite the fantastically vast territory of Russia into a single whole.

From Russian history

The road network that exists in the country todayformed over several centuries, as the territorial expansion of the Russian Empire. The development of transport infrastructure continues to this day. And only clinical optimists can express satisfaction with its results. A significant part of the roads in Russia does not correspond to the level required for the successful development of the country.

First of all it concerns the immenseexpanses of Siberia and the Far East, where, as in former times, instead of roads, directions prevail. And the very ageless hopelessness of this situation makes us think that the current state of affairs can change only when toll roads are introduced in Russia. There is hardly a reasonable alternative to this solution. Currently, road construction is financed mainly by the tax that each vehicle owner pays annually to the state. But it does not allow in due amount to accumulate the funds necessary for the construction and operation of such significant infrastructure facilities as intercity highways.

The first toll road in Russia

Positive experience in construction andThe operation of modern highways has already been achieved. There is already a toll road in Russia, this is the federal highway M-4 Don, leading from the capital to the city of Rostov-on-Don and further in the direction of the North Caucasus. This highway is distinguished by a large volume of both freight and passenger traffic. Only four sites are paid for throughout its length. But this, as they say, is a pilot project. All paid areas on the federal highway M-4 "Don" have alternative movement between their initial and final points. The presence of duplicate routes is a mandatory requirement when deciding whether to transfer a particular road to the category of tolls.

It is interesting to note that most of those whouses the M-4 Don line all the time, they stopped thinking about finding an opportunity to go round the paid sections along duplicate routes. The choice in favor of toll roads is made by those who value their time and comfort more opportunity to save. In addition, alternative bypass routes are always longer than direct ones. Fuel for their overcoming is spent more, and the economy looks rather doubtful.

Unification of the road network

The basis of the modern road network in Russiamake up the federal highway. These highways connect the capital of the country with all regional administrative centers. Their financing is made at the expense of the federal budget. The rest of the road network is ranked by regional and local status. The system of federal roads is an essential component of the overall technological infrastructure that provides communication between parts of a single country.

Any innovations and innovations in principlesapproach to road construction can be made only by decision of the federal authorities. Therefore, a paid fare on the roads of Russia begins to be gradually introduced precisely on federal highways. Currently, it exists only in the European part of the country.

Financial aspects

Road construction requires significantinvestment. There is no objection to the simple fact that a kilometer of modern multi-lane highway is very expensive. But to this we have to add the inevitable costs of equipping the roadside infrastructure - bridges, overpasses, multi-level junctions, side drives and parking. In a short timeframe, finding the necessary financial resources for the construction of modern highways will only help the introduction of a toll system for the use of roads throughout Russia. In this case, the construction of roads is financed by anyone who drives them.

Climatic factors

The complexity of the construction of transportinfrastructure and maintaining its performance at the required level is largely aggravated by low temperatures, which are typical for most of the Russian territory.

Greater temperature drops lead to moreintensive road pavement destruction compared to temperate countries. This further increases the cost of building roads in Russia. This primarily concerns the regions of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.

Of the features of national psychology

Не секрет, что само словосочетание "платная road in Russia "causes a sharp negative reaction from a significant part of its population. People who have been accustomed to ride the roads for free for centuries, it is very difficult to convince them that the lack of pay and the traditional view of Russian roads as the worst on the planet exist That the only chance to gradually bring the country's road network in line with generally accepted international standards is to introduce a fare on the most significant highways.

Коренным образом изменить существующую ситуацию only the awareness of the fact that the toll road in Russia is a good road is capable. And there is no other way besides that which successfully works in most technologically advanced countries of the world. Of course, this is possible only under the condition that the payment of toll roads in Russia will go precisely to their reconstruction and construction. And not on personal bank accounts of a narrow group of stakeholders.

World experience

With all the uniqueness of Russia with its boundlessgeographic expanses, it is not the first country in the world that is faced with the need to find funds for the modernization and construction of road infrastructure. And the whole world experience of road construction allows to make a completely unequivocal conclusion that good roads exist, first of all, where you have to pay tolls on them.

Characteristically, this principle is equally good.Works in the vast Canada, and in the microscopic size of Israel. In these very different countries, the same highway quality. Travel on them paid.

The process went

The toll road system in Russia already exists.In addition to the four toll sites on the federal highway M-4 Don, from September 11, 2015, the section M-11 from the Moscow ring road to Sheremetyevo was paid. The length of the paid segment of the path is 43 kilometers. In the same year, the section of the Western High-Speed ​​Diameter near St. Petersburg was also paid. Toll roads in Russia for trucks appeared on November 15, 2015. This date marked the beginning of an irreversible process in the field of heavy truck traffic.

For now this only applies to transportmeans, the weight of which exceeds twelve tons. The owners of trucks will have to pay only for driving on federal highways. The fare is 3 rubles 75 kopecks per kilometer. The decision to introduce tolls for trucks was made at the highest level. It was not canceled even in spite of significant social tensions and protest actions of long-distance drivers. If we take into account that it is heavy trucks that cause the greatest damage to the road surface, then this decision is fully justified.