Chief Executive Office of the Russian Highways State Company (Avtodor) Sergei Kostin held a working meeting in Avtodor headquarters with representatives of oil and transport companies as well as public organizations to discuss prospects of roadside services development on M-1 Belarus and M-4 Don highways.
Chief Executive Office of the Russian Highways State Company (Avtodor) Sergei Kostin held a working meeting in Avtodor headquarters with representatives of oil and transport companies as well as public organizations to discuss prospects of roadside services development on M-1 Belarus and M-4 Don highways.
The Russian government resolved to hand over into trust management of the state company general-use federal highways M-1 Belarus from Moscow to the border with Belarus (to Minsk, Brest) and M-4 Don from Moscow via Voronezh, Rostov-on Don, Krasnodar to Novorossiisk. One of the main missions of Avtodor is to develop roadside infrastructure and provide high quality services to clients. In order to take into account the interests of all entities engaged in roadside services Avtodor State Company invited them to a meeting to jointly discuss development prospects of the important sphere. The meeting was attended by representatives of Lukoil, Gazprom neft, Rosneft, Sibur, Surgutneftegaz, Tatneft, TNK-Industries, as well as representatives of public organizations – The Union of Transport Workers of Russia, The Russian Fuel Union, the Association of International Road Carriers, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
Avtodor managers explained the rights and obligations of the company in the sphere of roadside services stipulated by the Federal law #145 On the Russian Highways State Company, as well as company plans to develop infrastructure along federal highways which are in the trust management of Avtodor. Those present were informed about the results of monitoring carried out in spring on M-1 and M-4 highways by Avtodor experts together with media and public representatives.
The monitoring revealed that services leave much to be desired. Up to 20% of facilities along the roads cannot be even rated as roadside servicing objects as they are marketplaces, warehouses, offices, etc. Over 50% of objects cannot be considered as comfortable facilities because sanitary norms are not observed there, the surrounding territory is in unsatisfactory state, and no food of acceptable quality is available. Roadside services for cargo transport are poorly developed. There is a lack of guarded parking lots, servicing stations and washes for cargo vehicles. There are no services for tourists traveling in camper automobiles.
To remedy the situation the state company plans to build multifunctional roadside servicing facilities of the European level. The facilities will offer a complex of services to clients and will unite roadside servicing objects, including rest places, petrol-filling stations, carwash, servicing stations, eateries and shops, motels, first-aid posts, and other objects. The state company designed two schemes for multifunctional facilities on M-1 Belarus and M-4 Don highways, as well as uniform object deployment schemes within the multifunctional facilities.
Representatives of the business community displayed major interest in the construction of such servicing facilities. Representatives of the Association of International Road Carriers (ASMAP) which suffers most from the absence of elementary services on domestic roads welcomed the idea most of all. A representative of Opora Russia said the task can be implemented either by a single investor or through engagement of small and medium businesses in roadside services as subcontractors. Communications are another issue. A single developer will likely be necessary to interact with authorities in the issue of communications. Representatives of oil companies said it was necessary to build multi-fuel filling stations i.e. add gas to petrol and diesel fuel as the number of gas-fired vehicles is on the rise. Avtodor CEO Sergei Kostin recalled that Europe tends to switch to electromobiles. Time will come soon when they will drive in this country so Russia has a rare possibility not to catch up with the West, but begin modernization and install equipment for electromobiles at filling stations already now.
TNK-Industries proposed that the state company should sell ready-made projects rather than land. The state company should invest in the design of servicing projects on highways, resolve land and communication issues, and then sell the projects to businesses for implementation.
Avtodor CEO Sergei Kostin submitted a proposal to create a single servicing center for cargo transport on M-1 Belarus highway and said the state company was ready to provide land for the project. He also described plans to create a network of information screens on M-1 Belarus and M-4 Don highways that will advertise servicing facilities that enjoy acclaim of the state company.
Participants agreed that Avtodor and business representatives will continue to interact in the important sphere and will jointly install order on roads. According to Federal law #145, all owners of existing servicing facilities will have to conclude sublease contracts with Avtodor as well as agreements on joining federal highways. As for future multifunctional roadside services, the planning and buildup will be held in close contact with business representatives in order to observe the balance of interests of all parties.
The Public council uniting representatives of the state company, interested business entities, and the public will be set up soon to control the situation.
