Been a while but back with a Portugal warning (1 Viewer)

[jacobus]

No we have not given up touring, just do not do as much as we did and spend more time in Portugal nowadays which brings me to the warning.

As from the end of August/start of September, the english language Portugal News 09/07/2011, informs us that all Motorways in Portugal will be Toll roads and to quote " foreign registered vehicles will be allowed to hire transponders, paying a deposit of €27 and a minimum payment of €50 (€77 total) that will be debited to the account associated with the transponder.Upon returning the transponder the owner of the foreign owned vehicle will be debited or credited in accordance with the number of occasions toll roads have been used."

Now an earlier report suggested that the transponder would have to be returned to wherever you hired it so if you came into the Country via Braganca in the north and planned to leave via the A22 on the south coast for Spain, think again.

Via Verde have launched a visitor scheme so tourists can rent a Transponder for 3 months from a Via Verde store (try finding one away from a major City)for up to 90 days so long as they have a valid debt or credit card.You will have to leave a deposit and pay €6 for the first week over and above Toll charges.

As Portugal has a bureaucracy culture which is frightening, just try and get your money back if you had some left on the unit.

Considering the hundreds of Motorhome and Caravan users that go to Portugal I think this is a case of shooting one's self in the foot. I appreciate most of us avoid Motorways like the plague, especially when you have to pay, but as this is also going to affect car rentals a further drop in tourists must be on the cards.

Portugal's loss will be Spain's gain. Jacobus

 

[hilldweller]

Portugal's loss will be Spain's gain. Jacobus

Spain seems to be on a mission to deter MHers too. No MH parking in one port. The A-frame enforcement. Driving in sandles. Kicking us off wild campings.

 

[moandick]

The AA informed the Big Pitch Guide about this last January - so Big Pitch guide Members have had it in the Guide since then:

• Temporary Electronic Toll Device (DEM) – Since the 15th October 2010 you are required to have a temporary automatic toll device for using certain motorways. The AA have been advised that these are the A4, A17, A25, A28, A29, A41 and A42 – This may be extended. The device must be pre-loaded with a minimum of €10. The device can be obtained from some motorway service stations, CTT which is the post company in Portugal and Via Verde shops, with a €27 deposit. When leaving Portugal the device must be returned to one of the selected outlets. The deposit paid for the device and any unused monies should be credited to you.


Dick

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[Road Runner]

Why don't they just ask for cash and they will send you some post card and orange spray tan

 

[Pikey Pete]

Saw these signs and gantries up by Porto in April and traveled blissfully along these sections of motorway in some ignorance, no doubt racking up quite a debt.

So far I've heard nowt, though I believe it uses number plate recognition.

Will I be going back to Portugal? I think not.

When they pay tolls on our motorways then I'll be happy to pay tolls on theirs.

Pete:Cool:

 

[Gromett]

They would have to pay tolls on our roads that charge them..
M6? Dartford Crossing? Etc etc.
We can choose to use their toll roads or avoid them. Dartford crossing a bit hard to avoid

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[dellwood33]

Dartford crossing a bit hard to avoid

Oh no it isn't

 

[Pikey Pete]

They would have to pay tolls on our roads that charge them..
M6? Dartford Crossing? Etc etc.
We can choose to use their toll roads or avoid them. Dartford crossing a bit hard to avoid

Not quite the same thing Karl. I don't mind paying for tunnels and bridges built with private money to save having to leave a Motorway that is otherwise free.

The M6 toll is a choice as the M6 proper is toll free.

I do object to paying tolls on Motorways that are built with public money and in the case of Portugal EU money, that were previously toll free. I also noted that these motorways were in a poor state of repair and the only money being spent on them is to erect new gantries and toll signage. In my view this is just a rip off.

Pete:Cool:

PS Are you in Louth Karl?

PPS The Dartford crossing is only a Quid, and free after 10pm

 

[jacobus]

Portugal Toll roads

I appreciate what the AA said but those toll roads were up north and started in October 2010 the new tolls covering the rest of Portugal start August/September 2011. A newbie to Portugal will have to FIND a CTT Post Office) or a Via Verde shop and as our local CTT lady behind the counter told us she neither has stocks of the electronic tag or info.oh:

We spend a lot of time off and on in Portugal and have met Portuguese drivers who dont know that they have no choice but to buy a tag, they still think it is voluntary.

With access to other European databases due shortly if you commit an offence in Portugal you will get a notification of the offence at your home address. Of course if you do not plan on going back again ???

The Campsite close to where we are staying was only one third full over the winter and at the moment there is still plenty of spaces even as it approaches the main holiday time, not what we have seen in past years when you were practically fighting for somewhere to pitch up. Jacobus

Unfortunately the Portuguese Government is not to good at communication so confusion reigns. Jacobus.

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[JJ]

Does this mean that there will be less motorhomers in Portugal?

All the more room for me then!

I drove through some newly tolled roads around Porto in March this year in a UK registered van and saw the signs. When I got back to the office I got one of our people to contact the authorities and ask how I should pay the toll... the answer was...

"Foreign registered? I wouldn't bother if I was him..." :thumb:

Now, it might be all different by August (yeah right) but besides this...

...If a democratic nation wants to start charging for it's motorways so be it... One doesn't have to use them... and if you prefer staying in Spain Eeek fair enough. (They charge for some of their motorways too oh

It seems to me that if people are put off visiting a country because some of the roads (which they don't have to use) are toll ones they couldn't have been very interested in that country in the first place.

France has been charging for some of it's motorways for decades...

... or to put it another, more modern way, "What is the problem?"

JJ :Cool: