Since the opening of the so-called Blankenburgverbinding, which includes both a bridge and a tunnel along the A24 motorway, the Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer (RDW – Dutch vehicle authority) has issued 200,000 fines for unpaid tolls, 22,000 of which were for lorries. The A24, which opened in early December 2024, is the first road in the Netherlands to feature a fully electronic, barrier-free toll system. Charges are applied automatically based on vehicle registration numbers, with cameras recording each vehicle that passes along the route.
The toll is €1.51 for passenger cars and €9.13 for lorries. Payment can be made automatically by registering in the system, or manually within 72 hours after the journey via the e-tol.nl website or mobile apps such as Flitsmeister.
According to Jan Strijk, head of the toll department at RDW, many drivers are still unfamiliar with this method of toll collection:
“It’s a completely new system, without traditional barriers. This keeps the traffic flowing smoothly, but some users simply don’t notice the signs and are unaware they need to pay,” explains Strijk.
Trucks more frequently fined
RDW data show that out of all fines issued by the end of September, around 22,000 were given to lorry owners, amounting to almost €800,000. For many hauliers, this has come as a surprise – especially for those using the new route to the port of Rotterdam for the first time.
Some drivers, RDW reports, mistake the payment notification for an invoice and only pay after receiving a reminder by post. For now, such reminders do not incur additional charges, but from 7 December 2025, each will cost €9. Failure to pay after that date will automatically result in a €35 fine.
One in five drivers fails to pay on time
According to RDW statistics, as many as one-fifth of A24 users fail to pay the toll within the required 72-hour period. Since the road opened, there have been nine million recorded trips, of which almost 1.9 million remain unpaid.
It is this group that accounts for the aforementioned 200,000 fines. In practice, RDW sends out an average of more than 20,000 payment reminders every month.
Toll system to remain for up to 25 years
The toll on the A24 has been introduced to finance the construction of the new infrastructure. The government decided the route would remain tolled until the investment has been recouped – for a maximum of 25 years.
“There are many signs in the area indicating that the road is tolled, both at the tunnel and on the access roads. If someone misses them, that’s their problem – but thanks to this system, drivers don’t have to stop at barriers,” Strijk emphasised.
From December, RDW plans to install additional illuminated signs near the tunnel to remind drivers to pay the toll. The authority also intends to send letters to users who have received multiple reminders or fines within a short period.
