Iceland road tolls begin tomorrow with fees from 1,500 kronur

Road toll collection on Iceland’s new Ring Road around Hornafjörður begins tomorrow, with single-trip charges starting at 1,500 kronur, mbl.is reports. The tolls will help cover part of the road’s construction, operation and maintenance costs.

The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration said the tolls would be collected under the name Spalar ehf. The system will be fully automated, and drivers will not need to register or make a separate payment when using the road.

Cameras will read vehicle registration plates and retrieve information from the vehicle registry. A monthly invoice for each vehicle’s trips will then be sent to the driver’s online bank account. Users can view their usage and information about the tolls at spolur.is, where they can also pay for individual trips.

The new Ring Road was opened to traffic in June. The toll rates were set partly with regard to the benefits of the new road, including shorter travel times, lower fuel and operating costs, and improved driving conditions.

A single trip will cost 1,500 kronur for vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes, 2,100 kronur for medium-sized vehicles weighing between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, and 4,500 kronur for vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes. The vehicle’s total weight determines its toll category.

Discounts will apply to small and medium-sized vehicles, which will also have monthly payment caps. Owners of the smallest vehicles will pay no more than 18,750 kronur per month, while the monthly cap for medium-sized vehicles will be 26,250 kronur. The maximum charge is reached after 22 trips in a month. There will be no monthly payment cap for vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes.