Tolls on the A22

[TomUK]

We've just returned after a two week stay in Albufeira. Used airport shuttle transfer bus (which used the N125!). Then two days later, visited a local independent car rental firm in resort. Used them before. No fuss, modern cars, reasonable rates. Whatever is showing on the petrol gauge is what you return it with. Lady in office even recommended an Intermarche filling station nearby, but tucked away, which had unleaded at €157.9.
Then we came to the arrangements re the tolls. Her advice was to avoid the A22 if possible. They had no transponders in their vehicles and did not charge a flat fee or take credit card details (I paid for the car in cash). She told me what I already knew, i.e. that if I did use the A22 I should go to the post office after two days to settle the bill. Should I use the A22 during the last two days before returning car, I was to make a note of the charges and pay her the cash when returning the car, as she would eventually have to pay at the post office after we'd gone.
In fact, I didn't use the A22 at all. From experience over the last few years, I don't think the N125 is as bad as it used to be. Lots of stretches have been improved and roundabouts have replaced many of the dangerous crossroads. Of course, there are one or two busy sections which make the journey slightly longer. We took a trip to Villa Real and the sections through Faro and Olhao's narrow main street slowed us down a bit, but the journey took about 25 minutes longer than it used to take on the A22 and I can handle that. I find that the journey via the N125 is more interesting with more to see. In ten days of using the N125 we didn't see one accident or near miss and we travelled extensively, both east and west. We did see regular instances of the police stopping and checking vehicles (mainly small vans).
Ironically, as we were travelling back to the airport on Saturday morning in the minibus, we saw a west bound car wrapped round a lampost on the first section of the N125 leading from the airport about half a mile before the Alcantrilla turnoff. This section is three lanes I think, so accidents can happen anywhere.
We noticed that lots of airport shuttle buses like ours were now using the N125 rather than the A22 which they used to use, so I suspect peak season may produce a much busier traffic flow. Whenever we passed over or close by the A22 on our travels during our stay it always seemed very quiet at whatever time of day.

[mur]

According to the CTT website it is possible to prepay the tolls online or at a CTT Post Office once you have the number plate of your rental car.

http://www.ctt.pt/fectt/wcmservlet/ctt/ ... icias.html

I reckon this will be ideal for the return journey to Faro.
I am holidaying in July /August and would prefer to use the A22 for the Airport runs.
Has anybody any experience of pre-paying the tolls?

[RichardHenshall]

The snag is that you can only pre-pay like this for a non-Portuguese registered car.

[cabinscooter]

Like so many people, I have been following this thread very closely. We first visited the Algarve in 1973 and have been going there regularly since then and have always rented a car (or two cars if we were a larger family group). Our last visit was in September 2011 when we noticed the gantries being erected on the A22 for the toll cameras which surprised me a great deal considering how light the traffic usually is although we do only visit during low season. Our usual plan has been to collect a car at the resort or hotel (usually Alvor) having used a shuttle bus to arrive there and drive back to Faro on our departure day. In more recent years we have both collected and dropped off the car at the airport. Therefore the return jouney to the airport in the car is important to us so the need to pay toll fees for that journey is a complication to say the least.
My son and his family had a short holiday in Alvor back in April and having been forwarned by me about the tolls, he used the A22 on arrival, paid at a post office a couple of days later but used the N125 to drive back to Faro on his departure day. This seems the best compromise.
The confusion over the new toll system could, I believe, actually deter people from holidaying in Portugal, something which the Portuguease economy could well do without at the moment !.

[joeysoap]

travelled over on the 125 late yesterday evening (8.45pm leaving airport) , road was busy but very drivable, few mad overtakes but that's par for the course. Grn on the Ancantarilha roundabout (as usual) . about 1 hours driving to cvo (stopped in Guia so total journey obviously longer). couple of young lunatics on the lagoa/cvo road near intermarche on cycles with blue strobe flashing lights, from a distance it looked like a cop car with it's blue lights flashing, but when you got closer it was cyclists with absolutely blinding blue flashing strobe/laser lights. both myself and the car behind me had to pull over to the side of the road and almost stop in order to pass as you could not see anything but the blue lights.

lashing on the motorway to Belfast airport yesterday at 3pm, police were 'coralling' traffic in order to 'marshall' the trucks carrying the olympic torch etc back to Belfast from Dublin. Certainly made the journey 'interesting' .

anyway here now for a week. Happy days

[Adambsmith]

What a big farce these tolls are.

As said above Portugal needs all the tourism it can get.

I think I may write to the Portugese embassy in the UK on my return to let them
know that Turkey and the US are my next holiday destinations and that Portugal will be lower down on my list.

I don't object to paying modest tolls but messing me about is another thing.

[EMM]

What a nonsensical reply.
Use the A22 and pay the tolls, or use the 125 and do not.
If your decision to holiday or not in Portgal is based in the few Euros it costs to use the tolls then I question whether or not you wanted to come to Portugal anyway
By the end of 2102 I think that we will see that tourist numbers will have increased in 2012 even with the tolls.] which I believe are having little or no effect.

[TomUK]

The issues with the toll payment system won't stop me from coming to the Algarve. I'll just avoid using the A22. It's a holiday, getting from A to B as fast as possible is not a priority - we're on holiday and it's all about relaxing.
As far as tourist numbers are concerned, we certainly noticed that our usual haunts and venues seemed a little quieter than our previous visits in May over the last seven or eight years. There seemed to be a lot of closed, or about to close, shops in Portimao for instance. For the first time ever I was able to park in the car park adjacent to the gypsy market in Quarteira, usually I can only find space on the roadside about a five minute walk away. In fact, in most of the resorts we visited parking spaces were easy to find, even along the river front at Lagos. We just got this general feeling that things were quieter in bars and supermarkets for example. Also there seemed to be more vacant seats than usual on our Jet2 flights both ways.
I suspect that this may be more to do with the financial situation at home and abroad rather than the tolls issue.

[Bruce Wallis]

Ignoring all the Huffing and Puffing going on here on both sides of the debate.....the reality is that if ANY business wishes to maximise its revenue, it has to come up with a user friendly and efficient means of revenue collection.

The annoyance with the A22 tolls isnt so much of whether or not they should be levied, but one of the inordinate difficulties in willing customers have in paying.

With the best will in the world, seeking out a payment point 3 days after the event , does not encourage willing compliance.....and like it or not....some people simply forget!!

I know that some hirers just dont even attempt to pay their tolls, and one I know who just ignored the toll, has never been pursued for payment......his attitude was one of, "If you think I'm going to chase round looking for a paystation during my weeks holiday....forget it!!"

SO........forget the posturing....basic economics and the need to maximise revenue collection, should make the Portuguese authorities sort things out.

[Adambsmith]

What a nonsensical reply.
Use the A22 and pay the tolls, or use the 125 and do not.
If your decision to holiday or not in Portgal is based in the few Euros it costs to use the tolls then I question whether or not you wanted to come to Portugal anyway
By the end of 2102 I think that we will see that tourist numbers will have increased in 2012 even with the tolls.] which I believe are having little or no effect.

I think you need to re-read my post. I don't object to modest tolls and so my decision to holiday here has nothing to do with a few Euros as you say.

It's about being not messed about whilst on my holiday.

One does not get this in the US or Turkey.

So please don't call my post nonsensical when it's clear you haven't even read it properly.

[joeysoap]

I don't think it has anything to do with the tolls (could be wrong) but its quiet here. there's an old saying ' if something isn't broke dont fix it'. But in this case fixing is required , the tolls aren't working from a customer point of view or from a revenue stream point of view, so they need fixing - fast - unfortunately that word does have much use in Portugal.

[EMM]

Don,t get messed about in the US, when we are regarded as a nation as no better than those from countries that support terrorsim.
Where we have to apply in advance for what is effectively a visa, sometimes queue for hours to get into their country. Have our fingerprints etc checked.
Do,nt make me laugh.
As for turkey we used to love it before it was spoilt buy over development and catering for the all inclusive market.
Tell me does Turkey still charge a tourist tax on arrival which is more than the cost of a return trip on the A22.
If you use the A22 rather than the toll free 125 that is.

[widge]

There are approximately 450,000 permanent residents on the Algarve about 75% are Portuguese nationals.

7,000,000 tourists visit the Algarve every year.

The toll system needs to work for both & it doesn't.

[Polli62]

A little off the main thread but it has been mentioned in previous posts about the tolls affecting tourism. I just found this in Algarve Daily News re overall tourist numbers in hotels/villas/apartments being down for the month of May, but apparently Carvoeiro & Armacao De Pera had an increase of 24.4% in hotel beds
http://algarvedailynews.com/news/6733-a ... n-16-years

[EMM]

Is there I iota of evidence that the tolls have had any effect on tourist numbers ?
There is major recession in Spain , mounting unemployment and a financial crisis.
The cost of the tolls is a minor influence on anyones decision when you are out of work or in danger of unemployment.
The same applies to visitors from Ireland and the Portuguese.
The Germans are looking for cheaper holidays and have discovered the " all inclusive package ".
Tui ( thomsons ) and Thomas Cook are now german companies with huge investments in this type of holiday.

The positive news is that the Brits, and Dutch are returning and the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes increase in number every year.