Electronic system to replace cash tolls in Croatia

(Photo credit: Mario Žamić/CC license)

ZAGREB, Jan (Hina) – The new electronic toll collection system will be in operation at the end of 2024 at the earliest, the Ministry of Transport said last week, which sent a preliminary assessment form for a draft bill on toll collection to public consultation.

“The new electronic toll collection system is based on selected technologies (and not on all technologies permitted by Directive 2019/520 and the Law on Roads), it excludes the possibility of paying tolls in cash and introduces the obligation to use devices in the vehicle for payment of the toll for all trucks and motorcycles, which will enable free traffic flow, without stopping the vehicle for toll collection,” the form states.

As an EU member state, Croatia is obliged to harmonise its national regulation referring to the area of fees charged for the use of certain infrastructures for vehicles with Directive 2022/362 by March 25, 2024.

The government included this in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which financed the “Electronic Toll Collection System” project.

The change being achieved is a new electronic toll collection system in Croatia, based on free traffic flow, with microwave technology at a frequency of 5.8 GHz and automatic license plate recognition technology, the Ministry said.

Cash for toll payment to be abolished

The Ministry announced that the law will exclude the possibility to pay for the use of motorways in cash, which will consequently reduce the operational costs of toll collection.

“All trucks and motorcycles will have the obligation to use the device in their vehicle to pay the toll. Light vehicles up to 3.5 tons capacity will have the option to choose between using the device in the vehicle for electronic toll collection and logging into the toll collection system for automatic license plate recognition,” the form read.

Croatian motorway

For some time now, Transport Minister Oleg Butković has been announcing the introduction of a new electronic toll collection system, for which money has been provided by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the value of which is estimated at around HRK 500 million (slightly more than €66 million