The increase in Average Daily Traffic (ADT) on A4 motorway Katowice-Kraków in 2011

In 2011 Average Daily Traffic (ADT) on the concession section of A4 motorway Katowice-Krakow was by 2% higher than that recorded a year earlier. It should be noted that while in 1H2011 ADT increased by 8%, in the second half of the year the total traffic decreased by 3%. A distinct reversal resulted from the changes in legislation, which resulted in introducing an electronic toll collection system replacing toll cards (vignettes), so far existing on a network of motorways, expressways and selected national roads. As a result of these changes, since July 01, 2011, the Group started a real toll collection for heavy vehicles with maximum permissible weight exceeding 12 tones, which so far - on the basis of a valid vignette - benefited from an exemption from the toll on concession sections. As a result, in 2011 the average level of heavy vehicles traffic dropped by 11% and amounted to 6,044 vehicles (6,813 vehicles in 2010).

Replacement of vignette system, which is constant and single fee for use of roads and motorways, by the real toll for the actual mileage, resulted in natural reducing the level of traffic in the largest heavy vehicles. Due to the high base (traffic level recorded in 1H2011), this factor will also have impact on the statistical measure of traffic dynamics calculated for the current year - says Mieczysław Skołożyński, Vice-president and CFO in Stalexport Autostrady. I would also like to notice that this decline in heavy vehicles traffic and a change in the payment method for motorway did not negatively affect the level of revenues from toll collection generated by the Group.

The light vehicles segment is characterized by relatively high traffic stability and low susceptibility to external factors. The results of 2011 confirm the above, when the average traffic of those vehicles amounted to 24.586 compared to 23.207 recorded a year earlier. As a result traffic dynamics in this segment amounted to 6% and it was higher than that recorded in 2010.