The introduction of vignettes in Macedonia will drastically increase travel costs, given that over 70 percent of vehicles never leave the municipality where they are registered, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said Wednesday.
According to Nikoloski, no more than 30 percent of the vehicles in the country use motorways and expressways.
“We conducted a study. Introducing a vignette system in Macedonia would drastically increase travel costs, given that over 70 percent of vehicles never leave the municipality where they are registered. This means that no more than 30 percent of vehicles actually use the motorways and expressways. If such a system were implemented, it would apply to everyone, resulting in a significant increase in vehicle registration costs. Furthermore, consider that our two corridors – Corridor VIII and Corridor X – are Pan-European routes used primarily for transit. A substantial portion of the toll revenue, which we use to fund the construction of our motorways and expressways, actually comes from transit travelers; that is, from travelers who are not from Macedonia. For instance, Corridor X sees 10 million travelers annually, or about 4.5 million vehicles, while Macedonia has a population of 1.8 million. I think the situation is quite clear,” said Nikoloski before representatives of the Macedonian-German Economic Association.
Responding to a question from one of the companies regarding whether there are plans for any type of incentives, or the introduction of annual vignettes, for companies whose employees commute daily to and from Skopje, the Deputy Prime Minister agreed that this is a good idea, which will be discussed with the Public Enterprise for State Roads.
“I agree that it is a good idea, especially for those who commute daily. We can discuss this with the Public Enterprise for State Roads,” Nikoloski pointed out.