They will lift the toll bars on Good Friday and May Day

The movement against tolls is planning on raising the toll bars at the Afidnes station on Good Friday, thus beginning a new round of protests in the middle of the Easter excursions. Their goal is to keep both themselves and the issue of tolls in the headlines, despite state measures, fines and gruelling traffic code penalties.

People feel vindicated by the proclamations of the government about reducing toll fares and believe that without their pressure this would not have happened. However, they criticize the government’s move to subsidize the contractors, at no cost for the latter.

Yet, the “guerrilla warfare” of the streets is keeping a low profile, avoiding confrontation with police forces that have spread out bearing conventional plates, imposing fines and removing licence plates, and is gathering its forces this Friday in Northeast Attica anticipating the peak of Easter excursions.

Committees from all over Attica will gather in Afidnes, while decisions to lift the bars in other toll stations are also being considered.

The Nationwide Coordinator of Committees against tolls is organizing demonstrations on May Day, with the opening of the tolls in Korinthos.
 

The drivers’ Golgotha

Drivers, however, will need to show restraint and patience once again because of the one-way roads and other obstacles.

Despite the fact that work has ceased on most of the sites along the national road network, those driving on Korinthos-Patra motorway will face some problems.

According to Olympia Odos, 17 spots of the road will present difficulties. This is confirmed by the Infrastructure ministry, which is referring to long-term traffic regulations.

In times of high traffic flow, two lanes of reduced width will be included in the section up to Xylokastro. There might also be deflection of traffic to the Korinthos-Patra Ring Road or exclusion of entrance into the junctions along the Korinthos-Patra motorway.

According to previous years’ data the peak hours are:

Outgoing:

* early morning till late evening (8am-11pm) on Holy Thursday
* early morning till afternoon (5am-5pm) on Good Friday

Incoming:

* on Easter Monday and Tuesday, early morning till midnight (10am-12am), with emphasis on the wider region of the Rio intersection (for those returning from the western mainland, Epirus and western Peloponnisos).