More Attica tollgates on the cards
Authorities are planning to set up four new toll stations on the northern outskirts of Athens over the next few months and more tollgates further south next year, sources have told Kathimerini. The plans reportedly envisage four new tollgates north of Athens – at the junctions of Varibobi, Aghios Stefanos, Lykovrysi and Kalyftaki – later this year. Plans for the tollgates further south are less concrete but foresee at least two new toll stations on the section of the national road between Elefsina and Corinth. According to the same sources, these new tollgates will be designed to accept only credit, not cash. As a result motorists will be obliged to purchase the e-passes currently in use by a minority of drivers. The e-passes are gadgets containing credit that motorists attach to their windshield in order to be recognized by «electronic eyes» installed at tollgates. The news of the plans came as motorists staged protests yesterday at tollgates at Afidnes, Metamorphosi and Elefsina. The protesters object to legal suits brought against 25 motorists by Olympia Odos, a private firm that collects tolls from the Zevgolatio and Rio gates on a stretch of the national road in the Peloponnese. Last month, the firm sued motorists who have allegedly refused to pay toll fees. The motorists argue that the Corinth-Patra section of the road is still under construction and does not meet European safety standards.
