Traffic jams at China border ahead of vehicle recycling fee hike
Ahead of the increase in the recycling fee for cars from October 1, traffic jams formed at key checkpoints with China.
The waiting time for crossing the border through the Zabaikalsk and Blagoveshchensk-Heihe checkpoints has increased from the usual 12-24 hours to 5-7 days.
Causes of traffic jams
Transport companies claim that one of the reasons for the congestion was the companies’ intention to remove their equipment before October 1, Kommersant reports.
This led to a sharp slowdown in traffic.
Moreover, carriers are forced to increase tariffs due to additional costs. Therefore, since the beginning of August, the cost of transport services has sharply increased by 10-13 percent.
There is also an electronic queue at the border, but it is only available for exiting the Russian Federation. And the daily number of slots has already been scheduled for the coming weeks.
This further complicates the delivery of goods.
The situation may worsen in the coming days, given the possible increase in the recycling fee from October 1.
Experts believe that peak loads at checkpoints may continue until September 20.
There are no major traffic jams directly at the border. On the Russian side, there is a system for reserving places in the queue.
