Can an N road be tolled??

Chris_533976

Just something I thought about. Every toll so far in this country (as far as I know, I could be wrong) is on an M road. Although it seems like future tolls (N6 Galway Ballinasloe, N7 Limerick SRR II) will be Ns, is there some weird bit of legislation or anything that says 'only an M road can have a toll'. Common sense tells me that there should be no reason whatsoever why an N road cant have a toll, but this is the kind of crazy situation that never gets thought about here.

If an N road cant be tolled legally, we'd see some more blue lines on maps.

Anyone any ideas??

Bards

Chris_533976 wrote:

Just something I thought about. Every toll so far in this country (as far as I know, I could be wrong) is on an M road. Although it seems like future tolls (N6 Galway Ballinasloe, N7 Limerick SRR II) will be Ns, is there some weird bit of legislation or anything that says 'only an M road can have a toll'. Common sense tells me that there should be no reason whatsoever why an N road cant have a toll, but this is the kind of crazy situation that never gets thought about here.

If an N road cant be tolled legally, we'd see some more blue lines on maps.

Anyone any ideas??

as long as there is an alternative toll free road there shouldn't be a problem

1huge1

I'm fairly sure the N7 is going to become the M7 on the limerick side once the nenagh to limerick dc is opened

icdg

Any road - M, N, R, or L - can be tolled. In fact, the first modern toll road in this country, the East-Link, is not even an N-road!

Apart from the East-Link, all toll roads so far are motorways. The problem with tolling a non motorway is that anyone can apply for and gain planning premission to get access to a road. Current planning policy is to oppose such premissions, but exemptions to planning policy seem to be made in this country on a daily basis. This might very easily allow tolls to be circumvented in the future. On a motorway, you can only access the road at junctions and MSAs.

Another thing about tolling an N-road, that I'm not sure they've thought about yet, is that legally pedal cyclists and pedestrians have a right of way. What do you charge them? A motorway eliminates this doubt, only motor vehicles capable of doing at least 30mph can use a motorway.

testicle

1huge1 wrote:

I'm fairly sure the N7 is going to become the M7 on the limerick side once the nenagh to limerick dc is opened

Not that I am aware of. Motorway to Portlaoise, DC from there.

icdg

The motorway will continue a little bit further than Portlaoise - to south of Borris-in-Ossery, with the inaccurately named Portlaoise - Castletown motorway also being the M7 (with the Culahill spur the M8). After that, the two remaining schemes Limerick-Nenagh and the also inaccurately named Nenagh-Castletown are the dreaded letters 'HQDC', and as such will open as N-roads.