A protest at the recent price hikes on national motorway tolls turned destructive yesterday as about 500 protesters set tires and then a toll booth ablaze on a motorway north of Athens leading to the temporary closure of the road. The protesters also raised the bars on the tolls allowing drivers through without paying.

The protest came in response to a recent price hike in tolls on the national motorways throughout the country. The increase is only the latest in a series of hikes in recent years that have seen drivers paying ever greater amounts on toll roads. For a round trip from Athens to Thessaloniki, for example drivers must now pay 56 euros in tolls alone. Together with the high fuel tax in Greece the high toll prices mean that many Greeks are being priced out of using the national motorways – in many cases the only option for road travel even for relatively short distances.

Meanwhile many of the improvements that the tolls are supposedly funding have remained stalled for years meaning that Greeks drivers are paying hundreds of millions of euros a year for highways that are unsafe, poorly maintained and in many instances have only one lane in either direction. Many believe that the revenue from the tolls is effectively being looted by the motorway operators contracted to improve Greece’s road network. The government claims that the price hikes were part of the contract signed by a previous administration in 2007.

Residents of areas like Oropos are particularly affected as many residents have no other option but to use the toll road as part of their daily commutes. The local toll has increased from 55 cents to 1.45 euros (about 160%). According to the Transport Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis local residents will be exempt from the price increase but it is unclear how this will be achieved.

According to reports the initial plan was for the demonstrators to gather in a peaceful protest by the toll station on the on-ramp leading to the highway. However the situation got out of hand as some protesters entered the main thoroughfare, evicted an employee from one of the toll booths and after pushing it into the road set it ablaze.

As a result the highway was shut entirely in both directions for about 10 minutes causing a traffic jam.

 

 
Residents were initially called to join the protest by the local mayor Giannis Economakis. However following the crowd’s destructive actions the mayor distanced himself from the protested, condemning the protesters actions. Today however it has been reported that Mr Economakis and two deputy mayors have been arrested. Police are also examining CC footage to identify those responsible for the arson. Meanwhile there are plans for the protest to continue at another toll booth station today.