Greece: Difference between revisions

From Driverspedia
(Updating →‎Tolls: section with information about the new e-pass nationwide interoperable system.)
(Correction of the numbering of the payment methods list in →‎Tolls: section.)
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## [https://www.fastpass.gr/index.php/en/ FastPass] which is native for both [[wikipedia:Motorway_1_(Greece)|Motorway A1]] from Athens till the intersection of Skarfia and [[wikipedia:Motorway_5_(Greece)|Motorway 5 (aka A5 or Ionia Odos)]].
## [https://www.fastpass.gr/index.php/en/ FastPass] which is native for both [[wikipedia:Motorway_1_(Greece)|Motorway A1]] from Athens till the intersection of Skarfia and [[wikipedia:Motorway_5_(Greece)|Motorway 5 (aka A5 or Ionia Odos)]].
## [https://www.kentrikipass.gr/index.php/en/ KentrikiPass] which is native for both [[wikipedia:Motorway_1_(Greece)|Motorway A1]] between the intersections of Skarfia and Karavomilos and [[wikipedia:Central_Greece_Motorway|Motorway 3 (aka A3 or Central Greece Motorway)]].
## [https://www.kentrikipass.gr/index.php/en/ KentrikiPass] which is native for both [[wikipedia:Motorway_1_(Greece)|Motorway A1]] between the intersections of Skarfia and Karavomilos and [[wikipedia:Central_Greece_Motorway|Motorway 3 (aka A3 or Central Greece Motorway)]].
# Lanes with a sign depicting a hand dropping Euro coins in green background: Automated machine payments in 3 steps:<ref>Olympia Odos, [https://www.olympiaodos.gr/images/user/Entypa/OO_APM_Leaflet_ART_high.pdf "Automated Payment Machines"]</ref><ref>Aegean Motorway, [https://www.aegeanmotorway.gr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/A5-leaflet-automates-plirwmes-ENGLISH-19-03-2015.pdf "Automatic Toll Payment Machines"]</ref>
# Lanes with a sign depicting a hand dropping Euro coins in green background: Automated machine payments in 3 steps:<ref>Olympia Odos, [https://www.olympiaodos.gr/images/user/Entypa/OO_APM_Leaflet_ART_high.pdf "Automated Payment Machines"]</ref><ref>Aegean Motorway, [https://www.aegeanmotorway.gr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/A5-leaflet-automates-plirwmes-ENGLISH-19-03-2015.pdf "Automatic Toll Payment Machines"]</ref>
## Step 1: Payment with coins (machines do not accept coins of 1, 2 and 5 cents), banknotes (only banknotes of 5 €, 10 € and 20 € are accepted) or at Motorway Α8 (Olympia Odos) also by using a Motor card for motorcycles. Olympia Odos automated machines also support contactless payments with debit or credit cards.
## Step 1: Payment with coins (machines do not accept coins of 1, 2 and 5 cents), banknotes (only banknotes of 5 €, 10 € and 20 € are accepted) or at Motorway Α8 (Olympia Odos) also by using a Motor card for motorcycles. Olympia Odos automated machines also support contactless payments with debit or credit cards.

Revision as of 14:48, 4 November 2020

Handedness of road traffic

Greece is a right-hand traffic country.

Speed Limits

The general speed limits in Greece are presented in the table:[1]

General Speed limits in km/h (mph)
Type of vehicle Built-up areas Rural Expressways Motorways
Motorcycles with sidecar 50 (31) 60 (37) 70 (43) 70 (43)
Motorcycles with engines ≤ 125 cc 50 (31) 70 (43) 80 (49) 80 (49)
Motorcycles with engines > 125 cc 50 (31) 90 (55) 110 (68) 130 (80)
Passenger cars (<3,5 t) 50 (31) 90 (55) 110 (68) 130 (80)
Passenger cars with light trailer 50 (31) 80 (49) 90 (55) 100 (62)
Passenger cars with trailer 50 (31) 80 (49) 80 (49) 90 (55)

Documents

  1. Driver's license. Licenses that conform with EU's model are accepted for EU citizens. For citizens of other countries International Driving Permits (both of 1949 or 1968) are recognized.
  2. Registration certificate.
  3. Roadworthiness certificate.
  4. Certificate of Motor Insurance plus International Motor Insurance Card (Green Card).

Items required in cars or with motorcycles

  1. Emergency warning triangle, which should be equilateral, with a minimum length of its sides of 40 cm and a minimum width of its sides of 5 cm and the enclosed area should be empty or light colored.[2] Motorcycles without a sidecar are exempted from this rule.
  2. Fire extinguisher.[3] The rule applies to all cars and 3 wheel motorcycles. For cars a 13A 55B C fire extinguisher is required
  3. First aid kit. Again the rule applies to all cars and 3 wheel motorcycles. The minimum contents of the first aid kit include:
    1. One package of hydrophilic cotton 100 g
    2. Four boxes of sterilized gauzes
    3. One reel of medical fixation tape
    4. Four bandages
    5. Two hemostatic dressings
    6. One bottle with at least 200 g of alcohol
    7. One vial with at least 50 g of Mercurochrome

Winter conditions

Drivers of vehicles who don't use winter or all-season tires (the use of which is not mandatory by law) have to use snow chains or equivalent equipment when driving on snow covered or icy roads, installed at least to 2 of the driving wheels.[4]

Headlights

Motorcycles should have their low-beam headlights turned on all day long.

Filling stations

Employers of the stations are the ones who operate the fuel dispensers in Greece, filling the car with the fuel of your choice. You can pay in cash or by using a debit/credit card after you have your car filled and/or serviced. Self-service stations are very uncommon in the country.

Fuel types

  1. Unleaded petrol / gasoline (Greek: Αμόλυβδη Βενζίνη | Transliteration: Amolivdi venzini)
    Common octane ratings: 95, 98, 100 RON
  2. Diesel. Same name is used in Greek, but also the Greek word "πετρέλαιο" (Transliteration: petreleo).
  3. LPG (AutoGas). A list of stations that offer LPG can be found by following the previous link.
  4. CNG is available in a limited number of stations. A list of CNG stations can be found by clicking the link at the start of the sentence.

Fuel prices

A comparison of prices as well as the exact locations of filling stations in Greece can be found here: https://fuelgr.gr/web/

The information is also available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8, and Windows 8/10.

Electric vehicle chargers

You can find electric car and PHEVs chargers in Greece at charging.gr.

Road user charges

Tolls

Motorways in Greece have a toll system with toll plazas.

Different payment methods are available in different lanes, distinguished by the signs above the toll booths:

  1. Lanes with a sign depicting a white human figure in blue background: Payment with cash, debit or credit card to the toll booth operator.
  2. Lanes with a sign depicting a car and electromagnetic waves in a yellow background: Payment with the installation of an electronic transponder. This method is also available at lanes with toll booth operators, but for faster passage using the dedicated lanes is advised. Each motorway has its own device, but the transponders are interoperable across the entire motorway network of the country. Each road network applies its own commercial policy and any discount packages apply solely to the road network that provides them and only if the respective transponder is used. The list of the available transponders is the following:
    1. eway pass native for the Aegean Motorway
    2. e-pass native for the Attiki Odos
    3. gefyra e-pass native for the Rion - Antirion Bridge
    4. O-pass native for the Motorway 8 (aka A8 or Olympia Odos). Motorcycles have to use the Moto card instead, which can also be used to the automated payment machines described below.
    5. FastPass which is native for both Motorway A1 from Athens till the intersection of Skarfia and Motorway 5 (aka A5 or Ionia Odos).
    6. KentrikiPass which is native for both Motorway A1 between the intersections of Skarfia and Karavomilos and Motorway 3 (aka A3 or Central Greece Motorway).
  3. Lanes with a sign depicting a hand dropping Euro coins in green background: Automated machine payments in 3 steps:[5][6]
    1. Step 1: Payment with coins (machines do not accept coins of 1, 2 and 5 cents), banknotes (only banknotes of 5 €, 10 € and 20 € are accepted) or at Motorway Α8 (Olympia Odos) also by using a Motor card for motorcycles. Olympia Odos automated machines also support contactless payments with debit or credit cards.
    2. Step 2: Collecting change in case there is any.
    3. Step 3: Receiving the receipt.

Urban Access Regulations

Small Ring

Currently due to the COVID-19 outbreak the Small Ring is suspended and people are encouraged to use private means of transport to minimize the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

There has been an odd and even number plate scheme in Athens which is in effect between September or October and July every year. While the scheme is in effect, during dates of each month which end in an even digit, vehicles that have license plates which end in an even digit can enter in the restricted zone, while vehicles with plates ending in odd digits can enter in the zone during dates also ending in an odd digit.

Electric vehicles and Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles, regardless of the type of the fuel they use, are exempted from this restriction.

The system is called Small Ring (Greek: Μικρός Δακτύλιος | Transliteration: Mikros Daktilios).

The restricted zone of the Small Ring can be seen on the following map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1CugCAPCZAdRpXZgWfwuo4OE4IuM

Big Ring

There is also a wider ring called Big Ring (Greek: Μεγάλος Δακτύλιος | Transliteration: Megalos Daktilios) which gets in effect with an order by the minister of the Ministry of Environment and Energy when pollution level has crossed a certain high limit. Big Ring goes into effect extremely rarely.

When the restriction is in effect traffic is banned within the limits of the Small Ring and in the area covered by the Big Ring the same odd and even number plates scheme is followed.

The same exemptions that are adopted for the Small Ring are also adopted for the Big Ring.

References

  1. Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, "Greek Highway Code", Article 20, Paragraph 2, 2012
  2. Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, "Greek Highway Code", Article 81, Paragraph 16, 2012
  3. Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, "Ministerial Decision 50292/3549/08", FEK B 272/2009 , 2009
  4. Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, "Greek Highway Code", Article 19, Paragraph 3, 2012
  5. Olympia Odos, "Automated Payment Machines"
  6. Aegean Motorway, "Automatic Toll Payment Machines"