Summer holiday season leads to chaos on Slovenia's motorways

Slovenia suffers huge problems on its roads during the height of the summer season, with many tourists driving through the country on their way to destinations like Croatia. Long queues at border crossings are another problem. Radio Slovenia Interational's Ksenija Samardzija-Matul reports.

The summer months July and August are the favourite time of year for many people as a large majority head south towards the coast to enjoy the sun. But before the most beautiful time of year can start, one has to get to the desired destination first. In Slovenia the journey can be a very annoying experience, causing frustration on all major roads and at the border crossings.

And this is what you often hear on the radio when travelling through Slovenia:

"Heavy traffic is reported coming from the Slovenian-Austrian border crossing Sentilj/Spielfeld towards the Slovenian -Croatian border crossing Gruskovje-Macelj. On the motorway Pesnica -Sentilj, at the toll station Pesnica hold ups are reported."

We talked to Mr Koler of the motorway company of Slovenia about this problem and asked him when he expects the longest delays:

"We expect the biggest traffic hold-ups during the peak of the tourist season and the five weekends with the heaviest traffic in July and August and at some toll stations."

Heavy traffic is something we have gotten used to during the summer season but in Slovenia long traffic hold-ups are an additional problem at the numerous toll stations. In the tiny country of Slovenia there are twenty of them and, if you are on your way from Austria towards the Croatian coast via Maribor, you may get stuck in a traffic hold up at the first toll station on the Slovenian side of the border just to pay 80 cents for the use of a 16 km long motorway section.

Travelling further on towards the Slovenian/Croatian border crossing, drivers have to use the main road, because the motorway replacing the main road will not be finished until the end of 2013. Those drivers travelling from the Austrian border towards the Slovenia coast stay on the motorway but they have to pass six toll stations.

The state of Slovenia and the motorway company offer no alternative for the toll stations at the moment, as the toll system is a long-term source of financing the management and maintenance of the motorways.

Instead, the motorway company has published a brochure for tourists: "The motorway Company of Slovenia (DARS) has been publishing informative brochures in several languages together with a traffic calendar, showing during what days to expect heavy traffic, and a price list of tolls, also in Euros and the tourist can find information on safe driving."

Tourists however would prefer a motorway network without toll stations instead of brochures. In the near future nothing will change unfortunately, so for now one alternative is to leave the main routes and follow the advice of the motorway company.

"This weekend we will hand out a new brochure, with information on alternative routes towards Istria and roads from Maribor near the Austrian border and Zagreb in Croatia as well as alternative routes in the area of Slovenia's capital Ljubljana. These routes are longer than the main routes but traffic on the major roads will be relieved."

But there is hope that eventually the situation will improve. According to the motorway company, the Slovenian motorway network should be completed by the end of 2013. This means an additional 540 km of motorways and expressways. And many European countries, including Slovenia, are thinking about Electronic Toll Collection via GPS technology or a satellite within the EU, as a result hold ups at toll stations would be history.