Members of the "AP-68 dohainik" platform presented a motion on Monday during the Laudio Town Hall Plenary Session. Taking advantage of the fact that the highway's management has been transferred to the Provincial Council of Álava, the public institution has taken several steps to establish a new payment system. Linked to this, the Provincial Deputy General, Ramiro Gonzalez, announced last year that the toll would be reduced by "more than half," but the platform members disagree and advocate for the highway to be completely free.
The platform's representatives emphasized that they will not accept any toll, however small. In their opinion, having to pay for the highway creates a discriminatory situation for the residents of Aiaraldea, as people from other municipalities in Álava do not have to pay to travel to Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Furthermore, they argued against "highways being for the rich and dangerous secondary roads for the poor," and presented a statistic: all individuals who died in traffic accidents in Álava last year perished on secondary roads. They also argued that tolls deter companies from the region and prevent factories from being located along the highway.
Highways cannot be for the rich and dangerous secondary roads for the poor
There were moments of tension during the plenary session following the platform's spokesperson's address, in which they made direct quotes about municipal representatives and their political parties. Disagreement was prevalent in the vote: only Omnia supported the motion. EH Bildu presented an alternative text, arguing that the debate should be taken to the Provincial Council, while the PNV and PSE-EE proposed another text defending the need for minimum tolls, citing European criteria. Ultimately, neither proposal advanced.




