Policy shifts on toll non-payment extend to regional roads in Russia

Taxes and penalties for not paying travel tolls on regional highways are set to be updated by a draft amendment to the Code of Administrative Offenses. The government of the Russian Federation has submitted this draft to the State Duma, according to Kommersant. The proposed change aims to empower regional authorities to establish the size of fines for non-payment on roads of regional, inter-municipal, and local importance. In practice, this means that the specific amounts will be determined by regional legislation rather than a single national figure. The roads affected include notable corridors such as the Moscow High‑Speed Diameter, the northern stretch around Kutuzovsky Prospekt, the Mytishchinskaya Chord, the Novolytkarinsky Highway, the Khabarovsk bypass, and other regional routes. Kommersant notes that the framework for penalties on federal toll roads remains separate and is already governed by nationwide rules. The current fine for using toll roads stands at 1,500 rubles for cars and 5,000 rubles for trucks and buses, applying to federal toll highways managed by the state company Avtodor, including routes like M-1, M-4, and M-3. The regional fines, once set, will regulate travel on non-federal toll roads and will be enforced within their own jurisdictions. According to the note attached to the draft, these changes were expected to take effect on March 1, 2024, with enforcement varying by region. The regional penalties will be collected and administered under the local administrative offence systems, and authorities may deploy photo and video monitoring across regions to detect violations. The draft also indicates that violators should have the opportunity to settle fines within a 20‑day window and receive a 50 percent discount if paid promptly. Kommersant explains that the legislation would introduce a new item to address toll non‑payment across a broader network, extending the principles already used on central and major corridors to additional regional routes. In Russia, earlier steps toward an automated and barrier‑free toll collection system began on the Central Ring Road, where a barrier‑free payment system was first implemented, allowing travel fees to be collected automatically without traditional payment points. The overarching intent is to streamline toll enforcement while ensuring that regional authorities can respond to non‑payment on their own road networks. The wider context includes previous reports about shifts in driving permissions and licensing within Russia, such as the noted increase in international driver’s licenses issued, which reflects ongoing reforms in transport administration and related regulatory practices. Kommersant emphasizes that provincial authorities will play a larger role in toll management, potentially leading to a more consistent approach to fines across the country while preserving existing federal toll structures for national highways. The evolution of toll enforcement in Russia therefore appears to balance centralized control over the most critical federal routes with regional autonomy on local and inter‑municipal roads. The overall aim is to improve compliance, support road maintenance funding, and reduce evasion through transparent, regionally tailored penalties. The article underscores a shift toward integrating regional rules into the broader national system and highlights the need for drivers to stay informed about local penalties as they travel across different parts of the country. The discussions around these amendments also reflect ongoing efforts to harmonize toll collection practices with emerging technologies and monitoring capabilities across Russia’s road network, while keeping the core framework recognizable to motorists and transportation authorities alike.