One of the main commitments of this administration was to introduce the full functionality of the toll system. Part of the process is the function for weighing vehicles in motion with a maximum permissible mass of over 3.5 tons. Its implementation begins tomorrow, October 15, through the use of existing weight sensors built into the asphalt for the purposes of traffic control and law enforcement in the event of overloading. This was announced by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov. Today, together with the Head of the National Toll Administration, Prof. Oleg Asenov, he checked the readiness for using this functionality of the system.
One of the main problems over the years has been the overloading of vehicles. Based on the sensors, starting tomorrow, vehicles will be photographed in real time. Violators will be sent photos and an invitation to pay a voluntary compensatory fee. If it is not paid on time, larger sanctions will be imposed, the minister explained. He drew attention to the fact that today's meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government is expected to consider amendments to the Road Traffic Act, which provide for even more severe sanctions for overloading heavy goods vehicles. The violation is one of the prerequisites for faster depreciation of the republican roads, he emphasized.
At the moment, 10 portal frames have been certified, on which the measuring devices have been calibrated. The goal is to reach 100 by the end of next year, since this violation is one of the most serious and affects traffic safety, Minister Ivanov also informed. He announced that during today alone, the sensors have detected over 200 violations involving overloading vehicles over 3.5 tons.
Prof. Oleg Asenov emphasized that the certification of this tool is a reform that has been achieved by only one or two other countries in the EU. He handed over to Minister Ivanov the documents certifying the certification of the first 10 sensors and thanked him for the support received for the introduction of the system's functionality. At the moment, it is located in the busiest locations, for which statistics have been collected for 3 months, explained the head of the NTU. By the end of next year, the remaining sensors that were installed during the construction of the toll system will also be certified. Calibration has been carried out for each of them. Transport companies have participated in the certification process with road vehicles and representatives in order to be familiar with the functionality, said Prof. Asenov. He expressed his expectation that the control of overloading of heavy goods vehicles will preserve the quality of the road infrastructure, reduce the risk to road users due to overloaded trucks and ensure equal conditions for representatives of the transport industry.
There are such scales in 40% of the frames. They are in all main transport directions. Already tomorrow, on the NTU website, in the section for checking violations, it will be possible to check for registered violations. Integration with service providers has also been implemented so that everyone who has contracts with them can receive messages about overloaded vehicles, Prof. Asenov also informed. He assured that the system works objectively, because it is electronic, and the rules will be for everyone. He added that a mechanism has been found to signal about overloaded foreign vehicles and that they will also be sanctioned.
Minister Ivanov emphasized that the National Toll Administration is key to ensuring road safety and equal rules for everyone moving on the republican road network. He added that with the integration of the systems, the Ministry of Interior can use the functionality that allows for sanctioning foreign drivers of passenger cars who violate traffic rules, for which NTU teams assist the Ministry of Interior. The goal is for all violators to be punished so that they do not create conditions for danger to other road users.