Lorries will contribute more money to noise barriers. Toll will newly include noise and pollution ch16/11/2020|Press releasesToday, the government decided to change the toll rates for lorries over 3.5 tonnes. As of 1 January 2021, the charge for the use of motorways and certain first-class roads will newly consist of three parts - the usual charge for the use of infrastructure, but also charges for noise and pollution. The collected money will be spent on the infrastructure and on reducing the impacts of transport, e.g. construction of noise barriers. “These charges aim to create sufficient resources for investments in remedies reducing the negative impact of noise and air pollution on people living in the vicinity of roads. The typical example would be the construction of noise barriers around first-class roads surrounding cities and villages. We follow the example of other countries, such as Austria or Germany, which also include these externalities in toll rates”, said minister of transport Karel Havlíček. The amount of the traffic noise charge depends on the number of axletrees and the vehicle’s weight. The amount of the air pollution charge depends on the emission standard, the vehicle’s weight and the number of axletrees. The charge is lower for higher emission standard and increases with rising weight and number of axletrees. Zero charge applies for a standard higher than EURO VI, even for vehicles over 12 tonnes regardless the number of axletrees. The Ministry of Transport proposes the charge for noise and air pollution to be the maximum amount set by the European directive. The introduction of a three-part toll charge will lead to the increase in the projected toll revenues in 2021 to approximately CZK 1.6 billion compared to 2019. The State Fund for Transport Infrastructure plans to invest the expected total revenue, which is around CZK 12.6 billion, back in motorways and first-class roads. Toll reduction increases from January Apart from new charges, the draft government order introduces savings in the toll system for buses in the amount of CZK 38 million per year. The government proposes a change of limit values for calculation of toll reductions with consequent increase of toll reduction by approximately CZK 43 million, in order to minimise the impact of the toll system increase in 2021 on carriers and consumers. If the total amount of toll for a calendar year per carrier/consumer reaches CZK 75,000, the reduction will be 5 %; for toll of CZK 110 000, the reduction will be 8 %; for a toll higher than CZK 190,000, the reduction will be 11 %; and for a toll above CZK 300 000, the reduction will be 13 %. Moreover, the emission categories change. The emission categories EURO 0–II, EURO III and IV, EURO V, EEV, EURO VI and higher change to following emission categories EURO 0–IV, EURO V, EEV, EURO VI, and emission lower than EURO VI. These categories should better distinguish the largest group of vehicles, or more precisely vehicles with the largest share in transport performance. The total toll rates for vehicles in the emission category EURO 0 – IV will be lower compared to the current toll rates. The reason is that the vehicles with lower EURO emission categories were charged more than they should have been. The anticipated government order on the amount of time charges, toll rates, toll reductions and the procedure for applying the toll reduction is available in the public library of pending legislation.