Road tolls waived for national holidays

The State Council has approved a plan that will waive tolls for vehicles on four important national holidays, according to a document published on the central government's website on Thursday.

The document urges local governments and ministries to enforce the plan, which will exempt small passenger vehicles with seven seats or less as well as motorcycles from tolls on highways, bridges and tunnels during holiday periods.

The plan will take effect during the holiday periods of Spring Festival, Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day), Labor Day on May 1, and National Day on Oct 1, starting at midnight at the beginning of the first day of the holiday until midnight at the end of the last day, the document said.

The government also urged local transportation authorities to have contingency plans in place in case congestion occurs at toll stations during the no-toll periods.

"The measure is an importance move to adjust and improve the policies and regulations on China's toll roads, which will benefit the road networks for better traffic capacity and service standards on major holidays, as well as reducing the travel cost for the public," the document said.

The plan was initiated by the Ministry of Transport, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, and other government departments.