Motorists face 30 years of tolls, Dáil told

bazz26

From http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWIDOJCWEYQL

Motorists on Dublin’s M50 will be paying tolls fees for at least another 30 years, the Dáil heard today.

The cost of buying out the Westlink Toll Bridge and of M50 upgrade works will be paid for by revenue on a single barrier-free tolling point between 2008 and 2035, the Taoiseach said.

Six international companies have tendered for the electronic tolling contract.

Mr Ahern said the first phase of the M50 upgrade is almost completed; the second will begin in early summer, and the third will conclude in 2008.

The amount of compensation paid to the National Toll Roads (NTR) will be calculated on toll revenue from the level of traffic in the 12 months before the deal is signed.

The payout has been speculated to be around €600m.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte called for the Government to throw open the M50 toll booths between now and 2008.

“What is going to happen between now and 2008 as motorists endure a nightmare, a daily hell during the renovation of the M50 and the putting in of intersections,” he said.

But the Taoiseach said engineering experts had advised against opening the Westlink Bridge during the upgrade works and it would cause tailbacks on side roads.

Mr Rabbitte added: “Motorists are staring into Dante’s Inferno between now and 2008.

“This is going to be an unmitigated disaster during the upgrading of the M50. The situation is already intolerable for the motorists.”

He added: “I just want to say to the taxpayers of Ireland; your money is in the safe hands of Minister Martin Cullen.”

Mr Ahern pointed out that when the contract was first negotiated with NTR in the 1980s, the unprecedented population growth and increases in traffic could not be foreseen.

He added that there were concerns that it would be a ’financial white elephant.’

Larry David

bazz26 wrote:

engineering experts had advised against opening the Westlink Bridge during the upgrade works and it would cause tailbacks on side roads.
[/I]

That makes no sense. Getting rid of a horrible bottleneck will make traffic worse? How?

unkel

Does this mean that there will be electronic tolls only for vehicles crossing the bridge?

stipey

“I just want to say to the taxpayers of Ireland; your money is in the safe hands of Minister Martin Cullen.”

This makes even less sense!

I.S.T.

bazz26 wrote:

From http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWIDOJCWEYQL

...But the Taoiseach said engineering experts had advised against opening the Westlink Bridge during the upgrade works and it would cause tailbacks on side roads.

So why doesn't he prove he's right by opening the barriers for a month and seeing how it works out?

unkel

IrishSpeedTraps wrote:

So why doesn't he prove he's right by opening the barriers for a month and seeing how it works out?

Didn't a PD TD recently suggested just that? She proposed the government should pay out NRT for a week to keep the barriers open just to see what the effect was. Excellent idea that would instantly kill any speculation pro or anti opening. It wouldn't cost much either

Edit: that was Fiona O'Malley

I.S.T.

unkel wrote:

Didn't a PD TD recently suggested just that? She proposed the government should pay out NRT for a week to keep the barriers open just to see what the effect was. Excellent idea that would instantly kill any speculation pro or anti opening. It wouldn't cost much either

Edit: that was Fiona O'Malley

Need to do it for more than a week. If they only open it for a week then every Tom Dick & Harry will use the bridge that week causing massive tailbacks, proving Ahern right.

Guy:Incognito

Larry David wrote:

That makes no sense. Getting rid of a horrible bottleneck will make traffic worse? How?

Because instead of one big tailback on the m50 all the side roads would have the traffic streaming straight onto it instaed of being filtered through the toll bridge and released onto the side road slower.

Seth Brundle

unkel wrote:

Does this mean that there will be electronic tolls only for vehicles crossing the bridge?

I believe that this will be the case but maybe down te line point to point tolling will be introduced.

Bertie wrote:

The amount of compensation paid to the National Toll Roads (NTR) will be calculated on toll revenue from the level of traffic in the 12 months before the deal is signed.

The payout has been speculated to be around €600m.

Does the projected toll revenue include the forthcoming (extortionate) price hike?

Bertie wrote:

He added: “I just want to say to the taxpayers of Ireland; your money is in the safe hands of Minister Martin Cullen.”

ha ha ha ha ha
That should be in the humour forum!

Bertie wrote:

Mr Ahern pointed out that when the contract was first negotiated with NTR in the 1980s, the unprecedented population growth and increases in traffic could not be foreseen.

Oh right, so it had nothing to do with the fact that George Redmond and Pee Flynn were the ones negotiating on behalf of the government?

Kashkai

SteKelly's right. Like it or not, the troll bridge stems the flow of traffic (like a dam) thus allowing the traffic to filter up the off ramps. Anyone travelling over the bridge towards the N4 off ramp can see its usually backed up to the bridge anyway. if the barriers were removed, this would tailback to the airport thus reducing this motorway (and I use that term very loosely) to a one lane highway.

If we had free flowing junctions (which they are only now starting to build), this wouldn't be a problem. However, we have stupid roundabouts with traffic lights at the tops of the off ramps which screw up the flow of traffic off the motorway. I for one hate being at the tail end of this off ramp queue as I'm always expecting some muppet to rear end me.

On a separate note, when the free flowing junctions re introduced, these too will soon be clogged by traffic. Why I hear you ask? Well the traffic lights at Palmerstown will stop traffic and this will feed back relentlessy to the motorway thus rendering the multi billion euro roadworks impotent.

Finally, clever move tolling the entire length of the M50 isn't it. At the moment, you only get stung if you go over the troll bridge. Now they'll get you no matter which part of the road you use. Of course they'll say the tolls will pay for the upgrade of the M50 but the question then is why do we pay road tax?????

I.S.T.

Prosperous Dave wrote:

SteKelly's right. Like it or not, the troll bridge stems the flow of traffic (like a dam) thus allowing the traffic to filter up the off ramps. Anyone travelling over the bridge towards the N4 off ramp can see its usually backed up to the bridge anyway. if the barriers were removed, this would tailback to the airport thus reducing this motorway (and I use that term very loosely) to a one lane highway.

So if I am coming from the southside and want to go to the airport I should wait in a queue at the toll bridge just so the off ramp on the Blanch/Finglas/Ballymun exit doesn't get backed up? That is daft. I'd much rather drive on a "one lane highway" and be making progress towards the airport than sitting on the wrong side of the toll bridge going nowhere.