Transport Ministry Denies Reports by SaS that Lorry Weighbridges Aren't Working

Bratislava, 26 July (TASR) - The Transport Ministry has denied claims by the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party that the weighbridges used to weigh heavy goods vehicles aren't working. The ministry confirmed to TASR that there's sufficient number of them, with the Slovak Road Administration (SSC) operating ten and the National Highway Company (NDS) nine. The Transport Ministry was responding to the Liberals' claim that, of the 17 smart dynamic weighbridges, only three are fully functional. "The Transport Ministry recognises the importance of weighing vehicles in traffic as one of the tools for protecting road infrastructure and improving road safety," said ministry spokeswoman Petra Polacikova, pointing out that penalties for unauthorised overloaded and oversized transport are governed by the Road Traffic Act, which came into force on 1 January 2023. Polacikova added that the Transport Ministry hadn't held any discussions with the Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation Ministry regarding the purchase of smart weighbridges. SaS drew attention to what it described as a serious failure on the part of the state to monitor overloaded lorries and called on the government to publish all the supporting documentation for the planned €105 million freight transport monitoring project. The project is allegedly being prepared by the Investment Ministry, which hasn't published a feasibility study. According to the party, the state has first neglected the existing system of dynamic lorry weighing and, instead of making it operational, is proposing yet another costly project. This was stated at a press briefing on 23 July by SaS vice-chair Marian Viskupic and Peter Bathory, who is responsible for transport within the party. In response, the Investment Ministry stated that it is not planning to purchase any smart weigh-in-motion systems, nor is it carrying out a procurement process worth €105 million. It was a feasibility study which analysed the possibilities of using modern technologies to monitor freight transport and assessed whether such a solution could help reduce VAT evasion. The study identified a potential saving of approximately €200 million per year. "The government didn't endorse the proposed solution, and therefore the project isn't proceeding any further. There is no approved procurement process, no estimated contract value, nor any preparations for the purchase of the technology," pointed out the Investment Ministry. am