Motorists were angered by traffic bottlenecks on the stretch of the M11 highway between the Moscow Ring Road and the city of Solnechnogorsk, following Monday's introduction of a toll, the RBC news portal wrote Tuesday.
The toll barriers were eventually lifted over concerns about travelers trying to reach Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport — located along the M11 — missing their flights.
Russian drivers took to Instagram and Twitter to voice their dissatisfaction with the new fee, which some said was too high.
“Only 400 rubles ($6) from Zelenograd to Moscow, only 600 rubles ($9) from Solnechnogorsk! I would just like to personally thank those who passed these tariffs. The worst thing is that they're not afraid of anything. … How about charging 5,000 rubles ($76) for entry into Moscow — don't you think that's an amazing idea?” one Instagram user posted on Monday.
Over 150 Twitter users mentioned the M11 on Monday, according to the social media search tool Topsy, RBC reported.
According to those posting on social media, a line stretching 2 kilometers formed in front of the toll gate as early as 9:20 a.m., RBC reported.
A spokesman for the private company managing the toll road, the North-West Concession Company, said that the disruption could largely be chalked up to “human factor.”
“We need to bear in mind that this was the first day,” Oleg Zavyalov was quoted as saying by RBC. “Drivers will need some time to get used to the system — there aren't many toll roads in Russia.”
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