TOLL CHARGES ON the M50 and eight other motorways and national roads are set to increase today as the Government’s six-month delay of the planned rise comes to an end.
Many politicians shot down the move to increase tolls last year due to the cost-of-living crisis which led to the Government agreeing to delay the rise in November until today, at a cost to the exchequer of €12.5 million.
Last month, the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) confirmed that nine tolls would increase between 10c and 30c today. The highest cost hits road users who do not have a tag or video account, which will see them paying €3.50 on the M50 motorway in Dublin.
Tolls for cars travelling on the M1, M7, M8, N6, N25 at Waterford and N18 Limerick Tunnel will increase from €2 to €2.10.
Car tolls on the M3 and M4 will increase by 10c to €1.60 and by 20c to €3.20, respectively.
No changes to the price of the Dublin Port Tunnel toll have been made.
This week, the TII addressed the Oireachtas committee for Transport ahead of the increases – which caused much political turmoil towards the end of last year.
Speaking before the Oireachtas committee this week, CEO of TII Peter Walsh outlined why tolls on the motorway need to be increased to help fund and facilitate ongoing projects that the operator is carrying out this year.
Walsh said: “In my opinion, more work needs to be done to drive out delays to the delivery of transport infrastructure…”
During Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Thursday, Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín called the increases an “outrage”.
Tóibín said: “Transport Infrastructure Ireland said yesterday that Motorists are ‘highly likely’ to suffer another cost of toll increase within six months. This is an outrage.”
“The Government is hiking up tolls during the most serious Cost of Living crisis in living memory.
“The government is involved in the highway robbery of citizens who are struggling to get the work,” he added.
Executive member of the Coach Tourism and Transport Council (CTTC), who represent coach operators in Ireland, Feargal Barton told RTÉ’s Drivetime on Thursday that rising costs are becoming very difficult to sustain.
Barton said that with costs “going through the roof” customers could begin looking at alternatives to coaches or use their own vehicles.
Barton stressed the importance for coach operators remain profitable because if they cannot, they could face going out of business.
When the TII announced increases at the start of June, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys told The Journal that Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister of State Jack Chambers were “engaging” with the toll companies on the issues.
However, senior sources confirmed that there had been no engagement with toll companies by TII or ministers Ryan or Chambers on this matter, stating the decision to defer the increase in tolls is in line with inflation and was agreed last December.
When asked by The Journal yesterday if minister Ryan had been engaging with the toll companies since then, the Department of Transport said he had not.
“The increases in tolls is a contractual matter and as such there has been no engagement with toll companies by TII or by the Ministers as there has been no change to this agreement,” a spokesperson said.
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