Algarve Road Tolls

[GrahamM376]

Happy Christmas! The A22 (main Algarve motorway) toll charges are now in force so anyone arriving back to their boat by car needs to be aware. There are no toll booths/ticket machines, just number plate cameras.

Having used any section of the A22, wait 2 days and then go to the post office and pay the toll. From then, there are various payment methods for visitors and those with fiscal cards/address/Portuguese bank account can get a windscreen dongle which direct debits the bank account.

 

[WF36]

I read that one of the tolls had been shot at and damaged!

Whats the N125 Like?

Pretty choc-a-block I would imagine!

 

[chinita]

Thanks Graham.

We have yet to find how to get through the system for a UK car. We have read that we should pre-pay at an office in Faro. Difficult when you are in Lagos.

The 125 is certainly busier, particularly in the late afternoon/early evening. Parts of the road are in a pretty poor state and I just wonder what chaos will ensue if or when they carry out major roadworks.

Incidentally, a visiting boat owner who travelled from Santander to Lagos yesterday told me he was stopped on the roundabout outside the new cop shop in Lagos at about 6pm. A very officious 'official' - not a cop - demanded his V5; without this, he was told, he could have stolen the vehicle. He did not have it and, after a lengthy discussion with a cop who intervened and eventually understood that my friend would not have insured a stolen vehicle (!), was released.

IME, this is unusual. UK registered vehicles are left alone.

Sadly, inch by inch, Portugal seems to us to be descending into third world standards. A great pity.

 

[WF36]

Odd - We have a UK registered car in Lagos, and haven't had any issues. Some say there is "too much paperwork involved".

Will be towing a rib from Ipswich to Lagos In April 12.

 

[chinita]

Odd - We have a UK registered car in Lagos, and haven't had any issues. Some say there is "too much paperwork involved".

Will be towing a rib from Ipswich to Lagos In April 12.

I have had a UK vehicle here on and off for six years. Never been stopped - even at roadblocks where they appear to be stopping every vehicle. This is why my friends experience was very out of character for the place.

I blame Merkel.

 

[chinita]

Will be towing a rib from Ipswich to Lagos In April 12.

Fill it up with tins of antifoul - you will make a fortune

 

[Blue5]

Happy Christmas! The A22 (main Algarve motorway) toll charges are now in force so anyone arriving back to their boat by car needs to be aware. There are no toll booths/ticket machines, just number plate cameras.

Having used any section of the A22, wait 2 days and then go to the post office and pay the toll. From then, there are various payment methods for visitors and those with fiscal cards/address/Portuguese bank account can get a windscreen dongle which direct debits the bank account.

Another great example of the Portuguese business model, drive people off the A22 motorway back onto the single lane 125 through all the small villages and make it as difficult as possible for them to pay, you even have to buy the dongle, priceless!!

 

[Wansworth]

Another great example of the Portuguese business model, drive people off the A22 motorway back onto the single lane 125 through all the small villages and make it as difficult as possible for them to pay, you even have to buy the dongle, priceless!!

They are Portugese......many Spanish have given up going to northern Portugal because of the hassle.The markets and shops depended on Spanish shoppers and are very upset,to put it nicely!

 

[GrahamM376]

We have yet to find how to get through the system for a UK car. We have read that we should pre-pay at an office in Faro. Difficult when you are in Lagos.

Having a Portuguese car, I went to the Via Verde desk at Faro Loja do Citadel this morning and after the one hour wait for my number to come up, paid the 25 euro and got a dongle. One advantage being a local resident is that we get some free trips and then 15% discount after that, until I think June or July.

Don't want to risk giving wrong information so suggest you Google "Algarve Resident" or "Via Verde" or, go to local post office for correct info about non Portuguese cars. I think there are also 2 other temporary Via Verde offices somewhere on the Algarve.

The N125 will not doubt soon regain its previous status as the road with most deaths in Europe. As someone else mentioned, the locals have been shooting out and burning camera installations on the 22, also opening fire on a repair crew! Not surprisingly, there's an increase in number plate theft.

Having been in the UK for a few weeks, it amused me how the unions are bleating about reduction in living standards there and wage freezes. They want to see what's happening in other countries. Pay CUTS are the norm here and the railways say they don't have enough cash to meet December wages. Faro council had the option of Christmas lights or pay employees so they chose the latter. The Clube Naval at Faro marina can't afford to buy any petrol because the Policia Maritima and others can't or won't pay their outstanding accounts.

Even worse news, I have to go to Lisbon tomorrow for yet another Christmas with mother in law!!!!

Merry Christmas to all.

 

[Ludd]

Having a Portuguese car, I went to the Via Verde desk at Faro Loja do Citadel this morning and after the one hour wait for my number to come up, paid the 25 euro and got a dongle. One advantage being a local resident is that we get some free trips and then 15% discount after that, until I think June or July.

Don't want to risk giving wrong information so suggest you Google "Algarve Resident" or "Via Verde" or, go to local post office for correct info about non Portuguese cars. I think there are also 2 other temporary Via Verde offices somewhere on the Algarve.

The N125 will not doubt soon regain its previous status as the road with most deaths in Europe. As someone else mentioned, the locals have been shooting out and burning camera installations on the 22, also opening fire on a repair crew! Not surprisingly, there's an increase in number plate theft.

Having been in the UK for a few weeks, it amused me how the unions are bleating about reduction in living standards there and wage freezes. They want to see what's happening in other countries. Pay CUTS are the norm here and the railways say they don't have enough cash to meet December wages. Faro council had the option of Christmas lights or pay employees so they chose the latter. The Clube Naval at Faro marina can't afford to buy any petrol because the Policia Maritima and others can't or won't pay their outstanding accounts.

Even worse news, I have to go to Lisbon tomorrow for yet another Christmas with mother in law!!!!

Merry Christmas to all.

More bocalhao,then! Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to you too!

 

[chinita]

http://www.theportugalnews.com/

What a farce. All this could have been avoided by a few toll booths providing local employment along with an instant cash stream.

 

[maxi77]

http://www.theportugalnews.com/

What a farce. All this could have been avoided by a few toll booths providing local employment along with an instant cash stream.

Farce yes but tollbooths and toll collectors was always a no no. As it is the toll system will cost more over the next 5 years than the projected revenue from tolls and the company has a guaranteed income. Manned toll booths may well have never generated a profit, the current electronic system they say will eventually be profitable, but I have my doubts. The additional costs to upgrade the 125 will I suspect far outweigh the possible returns from tolls for many many years to come

 

[GrahamM376]

http://www.theportugalnews.com/

What a farce. All this could have been avoided by a few toll booths providing local employment along with an instant cash stream.

A22 was virtually empty of traffic today and we only saw one police car all the way to Lisbon - 280k and no speed cameras, can still enjoy driving here.

 

[25931]

Farce yes but tollbooths and toll collectors was always a no no. As it is the toll system will cost more over the next 5 years than the projected revenue from tolls and the company has a guaranteed income. Manned toll booths may well have never generated a profit, the current electronic system they say will eventually be profitable, but I have my doubts. The additional costs to upgrade the 125 will I suspect far outweigh the possible returns from tolls for many many years to come

Upgrading the 125 is an ongoing process - there have been many improvements in the last thirty years and is a government expense. The Via do Infante is a concession and I have no doubt that it will be run at a profit.

 

[emandvee44]

Portugal Road Tolls

Hi Folks,

I am following this thread with interest as although I have a Portuguese registered car, many of my friends do not and they are all concerned about the new system.

The so-called SCUT system was introduced about a year ago here in the North and it has been extended since then, the latest area being the Algarve.

It is an electronic system, there being no toll gates as such, just gantries over the road with detectors and cameras. If you are a frequent user of the SCUT roads, with a Portuguese registered car, then an electronic box (dongle?) fitted in the windscreen is a good idea, as otherwise you would have to visit the post office frequently to pay the bill, and the fines for non-payment are heavy. Tolls are paid monthly by direct debit.

Initially the Government did not know how to collect tolls from foreign registered cars, which made the system even more unfair than it already was (and still is).

I understand that at entry points to the country there are now facilities ( a kiosk perhaps) for foreigners to purchase pre-paid cards, which are automatically debited when a sensor is passed.

Also, as you can see from the attached photo, there are other places where you can purchase the pre-paid cards. This one is at IKEA Porto.

I do not know what the chances of being caught are if you have foreign registration plates and you do not pay the tolls.

Cheers,

Michael.

 

[maxi77]

Upgrading the 125 is an ongoing process - there have been many improvements in the last thirty years and is a government expense. The Via do Infante is a concession and I have no doubt that it will be run at a profit.

Whilst upgrading the 125 is ongoing, if it doesn't go on a bit faster there are going to be even more accidents and other problems. more money will have to be spent earlier, not an effective deficit reduction plan. The government has already said that the toll concession wil need subsidies for at least 5 years, once again not the best way to get the defecit down. I suspect that the last government had contracted the system before it was forced to resign. The contractors not being daft I suspect wrapped the contract up with some pretty effective cancelation cgarges which made it cheaper to continue.

So it seems there is little chance tolls will help the deificit reduction plan in the short term.

 

[colhel]

We frequently drive the A2 to Almodovar and it has to be the quitest road I've ever driven on. There used to be a toll booth at the Gomes Aires junction but this is now automatic.
I wonder if the toll will make the A22 equally as quiet at the expense of the smaller roads.

 

[chinita]

We frequently drive the A2 to Almodovar and it has to be the quitest road I've ever driven on. There used to be a toll booth at the Gomes Aires junction but this is now automatic.
I wonder if the toll will make the A22 equally as quiet at the expense of the smaller roads.

All I can say is that I took the N125 from Lagos to Guia and back last Friday and it was mayhem.

A friend, in a hire car, took the A22 from Lagos to Faro Airport on the same day. He said that he could have driven along the opposite carriageway.

 

[25931]

Hi Folks,

I am following this thread with interest as although I have a Portuguese registered car, many of my friends do not and they are all concerned about the new system.

The so-called SCUT system was introduced about a year ago here in the North and it has been extended since then, the latest area being the Algarve.

It is an electronic system, there being no toll gates as such, just gantries over the road with detectors and cameras. If you are a frequent user of the SCUT roads, with a Portuguese registered car, then an electronic box (dongle?) fitted in the windscreen is a good idea, as otherwise you would have to visit the post office frequently to pay the bill, and the fines for non-payment are heavy. Tolls are paid monthly by direct debit.

Initially the Government did not know how to collect tolls from foreign registered cars, which made the system even more unfair than it already was (and still is).

I understand that at entry points to the country there are now facilities ( a kiosk perhaps) for foreigners to purchase pre-paid cards, which are automatically debited when a sensor is passed.

Also, as you can see from the attached photo, there are other places where you can purchase the pre-paid cards. This one is at IKEA Porto.

I do not know what the chances of being caught are if you have foreign registration plates and you do not pay the tolls.

Cheers,

Michael.

SCUT means without cost for the user and had been in use since these motoways were opened - it has now been abolished so users have to pay everywhere.
The authorities say that they can trace foreign cars and will claim payment plus costs of collection.

 

[chinita]

The authorities say that they can trace foreign cars and will claim payment plus costs of collection.

Three times the toll charge plus a collection charge I think.

I wonder how agencies such as the DVLA will receive this.