More than 40 roadside service facilities are under construction in the Vitebsk region

June 26, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. More than 40 roadside service facilities are under construction in the Vitebsk region, Sergei Shmatov, head of the transport and communications department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's economics committee, told a BELTA correspondent. Currently, 173 roadside service facilities are operating in the Vitebsk region, which is slightly more than 10% of their total number in the country. The level of roadside service remains low, the interlocutor stated. Approximately two-thirds of the facilities are gas stations and catering establishments. There is a shortage of service stations and car washes. For example, there is only 1 car wash on 2.9 thousand km of republican roads passing through the region. Compared to European requirements, the provision of gas stations is 59% of the standard, catering establishments - 53%, service stations - 22%, campsites and hotels - 33%. The average distance between catering establishments is 75 km, while the European standard is 50 km, and the standard for the distance between gas stations is exceeded threefold. Thus, in the near future, to achieve international requirements in this area, the number of roadside service facilities will need to be increased by almost 100 units. According to Sergei Shmatov, the creation of a single transport space with the Russian Federation and a common market for transport services within the CIS will require prompt resolution of issues related to the development of roadside service in the region. The Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee has made a number of decisions regarding support for small businesses interested in developing this sector. In particular, local authorities have been recommended to develop standard designs for roadside service facilities. Owners of gas stations along highways have been advised to open shops selling food and non-food products. Vitebskoblимущество has been instructed to consider the issue of accelerating the procedure for registering land plots for the construction of facilities. -0-