Dublin Port Tunnel Tolls for Northsiders & Southsiders

GospelGroupie

If working a 9am to 5pm Monday-Friday job, travelling from Dublin's Northside to the Southside using Dublin Port Tunnel each way, I will be charged €24 per day.

If working a 9am to 5pm Monday-Friday job, travelling from Dublin's Southside to the Northside using Dublin Port Tunnel each way, I will only be charged €12 per day.

Can anyone explain the logic behind this discriminatory pricing structure?

Northbound Toll Charges

Monday to Friday
0600 — 1600 €6
1600 — 1900 €12
1900 — 2200 €6
2200 — 0600 €3

Saturday, Sunday
& Bank Holidays
0600 — 2200 €6
2200 — 0600 €3


Southbound Toll Charges

Monday to Friday
0600 — 1000 €12
1000 — 2200 €6
2200 — 0600 €3

Saturday, Sunday
& Bank Holidays
0600 — 2200 €6
2200 — 0600 €3

Zaph

The idea of the tunnel is to remove trucks from the city centre. As the tunnel doesn't actually go to the southside, it terminates near The Point, traffic going southbound will add to the traffic in and around the city centre, whereas traffic going the northbound takes vehicles out of the city. As the tunnel isn't meant for cars in the first place, you pay dearly for the privilege of using it, and pay extra for bringing additional traffic into the city centre during working hours.

GerardKeating

GospelGroupie wrote:

Can anyone explain the logic behind this discriminatory pricing structure?

The logic behind the pricing structure was fully outlined when the port tunnell was opened.

GospelGroupie

zaph wrote:

The idea of the tunnel is to remove trucks from the city centre. As the tunnel doesn't actually go to the southside, it terminates near The Point, traffic going southbound will add to the traffic in and around the city centre, whereas traffic going the northbound takes vehicles out of the city. As the tunnel isn't meant for cars in the first place, you pay dearly for the privilege of using it, and pay extra for bringing additional traffic into the city centre during working hours.

Well, the thing is, you're technically correct in saying that it doesn't go to the southside, but it does terminate at Dublin port with a dual-carriageway leading all the way to the east-link bridge, one mile south of it. It isn't quite bringing traffic into the city-centre, but to a point where south-bound traffic are encouraged to go anyway (that being the east-link bridge rather than the Custom-House bridge, etc., in the city-centre where traffic otherwise would go).

From what I can see every morning, there is not a terrible number of trucks heading south-bound between 7am and 9am, yet there is a larger number of trucks heading Northbound through the tunnel at that time from the ships that dock during that time each morning.

GospelGroupie

GerardKeating wrote:

The logic behind the pricing structure was fully outlined when the port tunnell was opened.

Well, I've not found much reference to it on the web, no matter how "fully outlined" the logic may have been.

Zaph

It's a tunnel for trucks, not cars. If the toll was lower you'd have loads of cars coming from the northside into town using it in the morning, hindering access for trucks. For the same reason the toll is €12 northbound during the evening rush hour.

GospelGroupie

zaph wrote:

It's a tunnel for trucks, not cars. If the toll was lower you'd have loads of cars coming from the northside into town using it in the morning, hindering access for trucks. For the same reason the toll is €12 northbound during the evening rush hour.

That's fine, but charge the same each way, instead of penalising northsiders over southsiders yet again!

FX Meister

How are they penalising us? Sure didn't we get the tunnel on the northside instead of the southside in anyways?

P_1

If you get a taxi through the tunnel (eg Airport to Point) I presume you pay the toll yourself?

Or would taxis go through for free?

GospelGroupie

We've had to put up with the hassle during it's building (years of diversions, gridlock, etc.,), yet we've to pay more for using it (assuming you're heading southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening).

Makes no sense to me.

Zaph

You're completely missing the point, it's not a northsider/southsider issue. The tunnel is of little use to most southsiders travelling to work, but would be of great benefit to many northsiders if it was open to cars. As already stated, the tunnel is not for cars, it's for trucks, and therefore if you want to drive your car through it going to or from work you have to pay heavily for the privilege.

Zaph

pithater1 wrote:

If you get a taxi through the tunnel (eg Airport to Point) I presume you pay the toll yourself?

Or would taxis go through for free?

Taxis have to pay the same toll as regular car drivers

faceman

GospelGroupie wrote:

We've had to put up with the hassle during it's building (years of diversions, gridlock, etc.,), yet we've to pay more for using it (assuming you're heading southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening).

Makes no sense to me.

its not for you, its primarly for trucks or whatever many axles.

P_1

zaph wrote:

Taxis have to pay the same toll as regular car drivers

So I suppose you would have to pay the taximan the toll yourself then?

Zaph

pithater1 wrote:

So I suppose you would have to pay the taximan the toll yourself then?

Yeah, I presume it would be added to the fare.

Stark

GospelGroupie wrote:

That's fine, but charge the same each way, instead of penalising northsiders over southsiders yet again!

Again?

P_1

zaph wrote:

Yeah, I presume it would be added to the fare.

I was always curious about that. Cheers.

Zaph

You can drive any of the following through the tunnel toll-free:

• All commercial vehicles above 3.5 tonnes laden weight
• Buses wih more than 25 seats
• Vehicles driven by physically disabled drivers that have been specially adapted for physically disabled drivers

The following are hit with the tolls posted above:

• Cars
• Taxis
• Motorcycles
• Car vans/light commercial vehicles of 3.5 tonnes and under.

tallaghtoutlaws

GospelGroupie wrote:

We've had to put up with the hassle during it's building (years of diversions, gridlock, etc.,), yet we've to pay more for using it (assuming you're heading southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening).

Makes no sense to me.

How do you sleep at night wont somebody think of the Northside Children. Seriously do you honestly believe the guys building the port tunnel and coming up with the price structure even thought about what side of the city the werecharging more?

It costs more to head towards the city for reason outlined by most above. The port Tunnel again is for TRUCKS yes TRUCKS to take them out of the city centre and onto our major road/car park M50 to get them round the city. It also keeps them out of the city by pushing them straight into the docks to keep towards boats and heading southbound through the eastlink toll bridge.

They have misjudged slightly the time of day the boats come in only because winter and summer sailing times are completely different you will find more trucks on the roads early mornings on a winter morning as the boats sail through early morning. Someone that knows the weather may be able to explain this better.

You don't like the charges for cars I suggest you either buy a truck or stop using it ye know. Oh by the way I am a northsider and drive for a living in a car.

Terrontress

Some taxi drivers charge double the toll. Once for going through with them and once for their return journey. Fine when it is ?3 through but a bit excessive to pay an extra ?12 on top of the ?12 you'll already pay!

faceman

Terrontress wrote:

Some taxi drivers charge double the toll. Once for going through with them and once for their return journey. Fine when it is ?3 through but a bit excessive to pay an extra ?12 on top of the ?12 you'll already pay!

they're not allowed to do that and should be reported if they do.

corktina

i think u have 2 think of the tunnel solely as a route into the city where the tolls are concerned....therefore you pay more in the busy direction

Zaph

Terrontress wrote:

Some taxi drivers charge double the toll. Once for going through with them and once for their return journey. Fine when it is ?3 through but a bit excessive to pay an extra ?12 on top of the ?12 you'll already pay!

What return journey? You generally don't get a taxi to somewhere and straight back. The taxi driver has ample opportunity to pick up another fare after he drops you off, and he's not entitled to add any more tolls to the meter than what he's already paid. If any driver does this refuse to pay the extra and tell him that you've taken his number and ill be reporting him to the Carriage Office. If it's a hackney operating out of a particular area, tell him to go back there without using the tunnel.

Terrontress

This happened to the girlfriend's brother when he was being taken out to our place in Donabate from the RDS at 3 in the morning. He asked specifically to go over the East Link and up the Port Tunnel, as I had told him to.

The driver charged him the cost of the East Link once but double the amount for the tunnel and the reason was that he had to use the tunnel to get back into town again.

I'd say that the taxi drivers are annoyed with the fact that it most likely costs the same to go through the tunnel as use the Drumcondra Road except the toll operator is getting the money instead of them so they are looking to make a few extra quid on it.

The girlfriend's brother was happy to pay the extra €3.

mickoneill30

I used to get this in Sydney. If you got a taxi out of Sydney -> North Sydney across the harbour bridge you had to pay the return toll. I think it's justified in that case because the only way back into the city by car is across the bridge. There's no other way unless you want to drive for an hour to get to the next bridge.

In Dublin though the tunnel is designed to speed up your journey, not shorten it. The taxis are able to go back in on the bus lanes. I'd be pretty sure they wouldn't be using the tunnel with no fare in the car.

Bluetonic

corktina wrote:

i think u have 2 think of the tunnel solely as a route into the city where the tolls are concerned....therefore you pay more in the busy direction

No you have to think of the tunnel as a route into the city in the morning and out of the city in the evening, hence the flip in toll charges depending on the time of day.

It's quite simple really, hardly difficult to fathom the concept of the toll charges

faceman

Terrontress wrote:

This happened to the girlfriend's brother when he was being taken out to our place in Donabate from the RDS at 3 in the morning. He asked specifically to go over the East Link and up the Port Tunnel, as I had told him to.

The driver charged him the cost of the East Link once but double the amount for the tunnel and the reason was that he had to use the tunnel to get back into town again.

I'd say that the taxi drivers are annoyed with the fact that it most likely costs the same to go through the tunnel as use the Drumcondra Road except the toll operator is getting the money instead of them so they are looking to make a few extra quid on it.

The girlfriend's brother was happy to pay the extra €3.

you should have reported the driver

Terrontress

Well, he is not from down here and was just doing some work at the George Michael concert and staying at our place so he didn't think of it as unusual.

In terms of the Northside / Southside debate:

If someone from Swords works in the IFSC, he will have to pay €24 each day to drive to work 9-5.
If someone living in the IFSC works at the airport and drives to work 9-5 he will pay €12.

All of those places are on the Northside so I don't see how it is discriminatory against a certain geographical area.

Victor

GospelGroupie and Terrontress's girlfriend's brother banned for being stupid.

Take it to feedback to further publicise your stupidity.

Terrontress

Victor wrote:

GospelGroupie and Terrontress's girlfriend's brother banned for being stupid.

Take it to feedback to further publicise your stupidity.

Well he's not from here so how was he to know? That is one of the biggest complaints about taxi drivers is that the crooked ones tend to overcharge those who don't have a knowledge of the city.

But even though I have lived here for seven years now, I would most likely fall for the same line if a taxi driver gave it to me. Especially if it was only €3. Maybe not if it were to be an extra €12.

In my work we get alot of people visiting us from the UK and we are in Donnybrook. They all take taxis to and from the airport. I'd say they'd be easy prey for such charges.

corktina

...same the world over....:mad:

Ham'nd'egger

Terrontress wrote:

Well he's not from here so how was he to know? That is one of the biggest complaints about taxi drivers is that the crooked ones tend to overcharge those who don't have a knowledge of the city.

But even though I have lived here for seven years now, I would most likely fall for the same line if a taxi driver gave it to me. Especially if it was only €3. Maybe not if it were to be an extra €12.

In my work we get alot of people visiting us from the UK and we are in Donnybrook. They all take taxis to and from the airport. I'd say they'd be easy prey for such charges.

The correct line on this is that a taxi driver is entitled to charge you for any tolls/parking fees incurred in a journey, and especially if you request them to travel via a tolled road/bridge. They are not entitled to charge to return via same. All reporting of taxi grievences are handled by the Taxi Regulator and not the Carriage Office; be prepared to fill out many forms if you wish to report a driver for same. If you are using staff from overseas, Terror, try tell them not to use the tunnel unless absolutely essential, ie one hour till take off, rush hour PM etc.

tom1975

I see in today's news that tolls will be dropped to 3 euro at weekends for car users to encourage more traffic at weekends. This is at odds with the tunnel's aim to primarily facilitate HGVs. This seems to add credibility to the argument that the tunnel is being underused. I'd be interested to see if a report is produced at year end to see what savings were made to the economy in 2007 by the existence of the tunnel (ie speedier deliveries of goods etc)

Metrobest

I do accept the validity of tolls as a means of controlling congestion, but the charge at off-peak times needs to be seriously tweaked.

Like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it should be tolled in one direction only, for example inbound in the morning peak and outbound in the evening peak, and that would maximise the benefit to the city.

It´s in everyone´s interest to have as many cars as possible running through that tunnel, away from the congested streets above it. But the inept city council that gave the world Royston Brady can never see the bigger picture.

Bogger77

The city council did not give the world Royston Brady, his parents did. And the voters of Dublin gave Mr Brady to the Council!

mickoneill30

tom1975 wrote:

This seems to add credibility to the argument that the tunnel is being underused.

Would you expect the tunnel to be used at the same rate by HGVs during the weekend? I thought it was a smart move. The toll can change to promote it's usage but priority is still given to the HGVs. That's what it was designed for wasn't it?

Victor

Metrobest wrote:

It´s in everyone´s interest to have as many cars as possible running through that tunnel, away from the congested streets above it.

One has to be careful that this doesn't cause extra traffic.

But the inept city council that gave the world Royston Brady can never see the bigger picture.

The NRA is the major partner in the tunnel, not the council.