Truck Traffic at Russian Border Shifts into Overdrive
The number of cargo trucks crossing the Estonian border into Russia increased dramatically in 2011, up by 158 percent from the year before.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, while 311 trucks had made the crossing in 2010, that number jumped to 802 last year.
Evidence of the growth could also be seen this January, which saw 48 trucks pass through the border compared to 23 in January of 2010, uudised.err.ee reported.
While the average time spent queuing at the border decreased last year, interruptions in traffic flow are still a problem, especially at the Narva-1 border point, the ministry said in an assessment.
The fault, it said, lies with the Russian side.
“Stoppage of trucks at the border was, with rare exception, due to the actions of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.
Steve Roman