SINN FÉIN’S SPOKESPERSON on transport has said “commuters can’t take anymore” as tolls increase on 10 national roads from today.

In October, it was announced that tolls on the Dublin Port Tunnel, M50 motorway, and some national roads will increase from 1 January.

The charge to use the Port Tunnel during peak times in the morning has increased by a euro for the second year in a row, which means going southbound between 6am and 10am during weekdays will now cost €14.

On the M50, there is a 10-cent increase for all cars registered with tag or video, while buses, coaches and lighter goods vehicles will also see charges increase by 10-cent, registered or not.  

Eight national roads which are operated under a “Public Private Partnership” are also subject to increases.

Sinn Féin’s Pa Daly said the toll hikes should not go ahead and noted that in November, his party introduced a motion which called on the Transport Minister Daragh O’Brien to scrap the increases.

“Predictably, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independent, including the Healy Rae Brothers, did not support our motion,” said Daly.

Daly said the cost of driving has “skyrocketed” and “commuters can’t take any more”.

“Drivers are already paying the highest prices for petrol and diesel in the EU, insurance prices are through the roof now, and now this government hits drivers with another round of toll hikes.”

Daly remarked that increasing tolls “does not even work as evidenced by the increasing number of log jams we have recently seen along many of these routes, in particular the M50”.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) recently said there is almost nothing it can do to tackle gridlock on the M50 and remarked that the road has reached capacity.

Daly said commuters are “forced to wait for hours in traffic that is at a complete standstill and to pay for the privilege”.

Last year, when O’Brien was Housing Minister, he said toll increases that took hold last year should not proceed.

He told the Dáil in October 2024 that TII and the toll operators should “reflect” on the decision to increase prices and urged them “not to proceed” with the changes, citing the rising costs people are facing. 

“A fresh round of toll hikes is the opposite of what the Minister for Transport said at the General Election last year,” said Daly.

“O’Brien called for the increases to be scrapped when he was canvassing for votes. It’s clearly a very different story now he’s elected.”

Daly added that O’Brien “has the power to stop” the toll increases but that he is instead “letting toll operators treat Irish drivers like cash cows”.

He noted that toll incomes on the M50 reached €212 million in 2024.

Daly added: “And if traffic falls on these toll roads guess what? The taxpayer steps in to guarantee private profits through the traffic guarantee clause.”

Minimum traffic guarantees are sometimes agreed to by governments to limit the downside traffic risk for investors, such as cash compensation if revenue falls below the minimum level.

Between 2010 and 2024, The Irish Times reports that private toll road operators have been paid €92.4 million because traffic volumes on a number of tolled roads have not reached expected levels.

“The existing gold-plated Public Private Partnerships (PPP) contracts that permit these toll increases, and generous traffic guarantee payments, are a legacy of bad economic policy choices and decisions made by successive Fianna Fáil-led administrations,” said Daly.

“This is a rigged system, and it is ordinary people who pay the price.”