Toll plans spur mayor protests
As Deputy Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Yiannis Magriotis heralded the introduction of toll charges next summer on the Egnatia Highway, which spans northern Greece, a group of 12 mayors and community leaders from northern Attica threatened to step up their protests against a charge introduced earlier this year at the Afidnes toll booths on the Athens-Lamia highway. The first of these protests – a blockade of the Afidnes toll plaza – is scheduled for this Sunday morning. Magriotis said ministry officials were in talks with companies that operate the toll booths, with the aim of reducing the charges on national highways. «It is a complex and difficult discussion,» Magriotis said, adding that the talks «are focusing on the size of the toll charges and the construction of additional roads.» The Egnatia Highway, which is 647 kilometers long, is to have 13 toll stations, some of which were constructed years ago but have yet to operate.
