On Wednesday, April 23, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) conducted the first physical inspection of toll payment for the A24/Blankenburg connection together with the RDW. The inspection took place at the P&O Ferries site in Europoort. Two trucks from the United Kingdom were stopped for not paying the toll. Both drivers paid an on-the-spot fine of €35 and the owed toll.
Collaboration between ILT and RDW
The A24/Blankenburg connection links the A15 at Rozenburg and the A20 at Vlaardingen. For the use of this road, the RDW charges electronic toll (e-TOL) from all road users (private and business).
Road users who do not pay the toll and for whom the correct address details are known will first receive a payment reminder by post. If a road user does not pay, a fine, an increase, and another increase follow. After that, the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) proceeds with collection through the bailiff. For road users from outside the European Union (EU) or without correct address details, enforcement cannot be handled administratively. In these cases, the ILT enforces through physical inspections, in close collaboration with the RDW.
Alert List in ANPR
With e-TOL, vehicles do not need to stop; they can simply continue driving. The license plates of all passing vehicles on the toll roads are photographed and recorded using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). Based on outstanding toll payments and fines, the RDW compiles an alert list; this list is used in the ANPR systems. When a vehicle on the list passes, the ILT inspector receives a hit. This vehicle is then pulled off the road by the ILT. The driver must pay the fine, owed toll, and any costs of the payment reminder on the spot.
2 Hits During Physical Inspection
During the first physical inspection, 2 trucks from the UK were stopped after the ANPR registered a hit. Through a secure connection, the ILT contacted the RDW Backoffice. It was verified whether there was an outstanding fine for the flagged license plate. Both drivers indeed had an outstanding claim for not paying the toll. The first driver stated that he did not know how to pay the toll. The ILT informed this driver about how he can do this in the future. The second driver had forgotten to pay for a trip, which was also evident from his own records. Both had to pay the owed toll, the previously imposed RDW fine, and any administrative costs on the spot. The ILT collected these outstanding amounts immediately, after which the truck drivers could continue on their way.
Why Temporary Toll Collection?
For the construction of the A24/Blankenburg connection, the government could not free up enough money. The road could be built because road users pay toll per trip. This way, part of the construction costs can be covered. The toll collection will end once the toll amount and the costs of toll collection have been met. The new connection provides better accessibility in the Rotterdam region and is good for the economy. More information can be found at Paying toll for the A24.