Avoid paying M50 toll charges

whyknot

All

I have been biking through the toll for over a year now on a once weekly basis. One evening as I diligently queued to pay the charge the siren sounded at the booth next to me and a biker zoomed southbound. Since that day I have not paid for the toll! I have avoided the barrier both northbound and southbound. I have not received any fines or charges (I don't believe they can fine us, I am not even sure if they have the capability to photo the reg as all the cameras seem to be in front of the vehicles and not behind) My concern is that I work in Blanch now and have to go through the toll everyday - i just wonder what the repurcussions of this daily thrill is? the toll people must be annoyed and will want to take action - we'll see. Anyway if all bikers did this then they might just abolish the charges for the bikers - like they have done on the eastlink. Makes sense to me!

So fellow bikers, do you queue and pay for the toll? :rolleyes:

whyknot.

Kimbot

Why don't you use the back roads to get to your destination or else stop being tight with your money, you know that its a toll road when you are using it yet you think you don't have to pay while the rest of the motorists that use it do!!

Villain

Up until this May it was not an offence to not pay a toll however a new Justice bill brought into law this year has made it an offence. Don't know the fines etc off hand

Villain

A person failing to pay a toll is liable on summary conviction in a District Court to a fine not exceeding 1,270 euro.

Wossack

if all bikers did this they'd more likely install rear facing cameras


figure if you do it everyday, eventually its gonna catch up to you...


still think the biker 'go slow at the toll' idea thats been bandied around is the best idea

Dorsanty

Wossack wrote:

still think the biker 'go slow at the toll' idea thats been bandied around is the best idea

Is that the take your time and get off the bike and walk up to the booth idea? So make everyone pissed off at the toll system and try to do a grass roots uprising?

"Ah , there's an interesting story behind this nickle. In 1957 I remember it was, I got up in the moring and made myself a peice of toast. I set the toaster to three, medium brown....."

whyknot

jonny24ie wrote:

Why don't you use the back roads to get to your destination or else stop being tight with your money, you know that its a toll road when you are using it yet you think you don't have to pay while the rest of the motorists that use it do!!

I guess jonny24ie is in a car. I think you are in the wrong forum. I am not too tight to pay the money - the reason I am on a bike is for speedy travel. toll takes too long considering the amount of kit bikers wear. can a bike get an easypass - bet they cant!

subway

get an easypass.
you bloody cheapskate!!

stipey

Dorsanty wrote:

Is that the take your time and get off the bike and walk up to the booth idea? So make everyone pissed off at the toll system and try to do a grass roots uprising?

I read an article about this being done somewhere (England I think).

Basically it started with a handful of bikers approaching the toll bridge at the same time. Of course to safely pay the toll they had to.... pull up, put the side stand down, take off the gloves, rummage in their pockets for wallets, find the money (ooops nothing smaller than a €50 I'm afraid), take the change, arrange the money neatly in the wallet, put the wallet back in the pocket, zip the pocket, put the gloves on and drive off.

Then they'd get leave the motorway at the next exit and come back the way arriving at the toll bridge from the other side. Again they had to.... pull up, put the side stand down, take off the gloves, rummage in their pockets for wallets, find the money (ooops nothing smaller than a €50 I'm afraid...yeah I know i was through here not 5 minutes ago... and that you gave me change... no idea what happened to it), take the change, arrange the money neatly in the wallet, put the wallet back in the pocket, zip the pocket, put the gloves on and drive off.

Over time more and more bikers joined them. They did this once a week and then somehow the law changed.

murphaph

Most sensible places have no charge for bikes due to the time it takes to process the small transaction. East link for example is free. All toll roads should be bike free.

romperstomper

haven't paid that shower in YEARS even though i use it very regularly. If you think about how badly served the entire country is by toll roads in general its a no brainer. But when you consider that biker actually contribute to the backlog as its takes AT LEAST 1 minute to:
1 stop a bike
2 engage stand and get off bike
3 remove gloves
4 take out wallet and insert in basket
5 the put wallet back
6 don gloves
7 get on bike and drive off

if only EVERY biker did then we would get a dedicated lane like on the east link

DO0GLE

jonny24ie wrote:

Why don't you use the back roads to get to your destination or else stop being tight with your money

Yeh whyknot!!!! Thomas and Ann Roche who own 48% of the M50 toll are only No.19 on Irelands rich list, with a value of €387million Keep plugging away there and we'll all try getting them down to No.18 next year..... and don't mind the fact that it was two former disgraced government officials that signed off on it in the first place, George Redmond and Padraig Flynn in controversial circumstances.

Stereophonic

romperstomper wrote:

4 take out wallet and insert in basket

I know its a nuisance when they have to fish their wallet from the basket. looked funny when i saw it. obviously its money

Kimbot

whyknot wrote:

I guess jonny24ie is in a car. I think you are in the wrong forum. I am not too tight to pay the money - the reason I am on a bike is for speedy travel. toll takes too long considering the amount of kit bikers wear. can a bike get an easypass - bet they cant!

What and all of a sudden you don't have pockets to hold change??
If you use a road that you know you have to pay a chanrge on then pay it and get over yourself!! I don't agree with motorbikes being charged the toll but at the end of the day if use a bus you have to pay the fare etc etc!!

Quint

jonny24ie wrote:

What and all of a sudden you don't have pockets to hold change??
If you use a road that you know you have to pay a chanrge on then pay it and get over yourself!! I don't agree with motorbikes being charged the toll but at the end of the day if use a bus you have to pay the fare etc etc!!

I hope you're taking the piss!
Everyone that can avoid paying the toll should do it. It's a disgrace!
I pay, but started using a handfull of coppers (already counted out to 80c) loads of 1's and 2's and hand it to the good people in the toll booth. Takes them an age to count it out!

The Doktor

I dont use the Westlink too much on the bike, but when I do, I do the whole stand dow, gloves off thing.
But one day last week at around 17:30 I came up to the booth, as soon as the person in the booth saw me she waved me on. I said "are ya sure??" (dunno why) but she says "yeah go on..."
Now I was tryin to convice myself that she thought i was cute or somthin:D But I do think the whole taking your time might be getting to them....

Quint

Nice one, we'll grind them down!

gsxr1

I get charged over 3 euro to cross in my small van. I have started to use the baskets now which is a fixed price for cars.

Hotblack Desiato

stipey wrote:

Basically it started with a handful of bikers approaching the toll bridge at the same time....

It's been tried a few times here on a small scale.
The operators had a smart idea and started just waving all the bikes in the protest through for free :rolleyes:
Anyway given the "I'm all right Jack" attitude of the average Irish person (and bikers are even worse) collective action is doomed to failure in this country! That's what many years of involvement in MAG has taught me, the average rider loves to whinge into their pint about anything and everything but won't lift a finger (or even stop voting the same morons in every time) to do a damn thing about it.

FiSe

gsxr1 wrote:

I get charged over 3 euro to cross in my small van. I have started to use the baskets now which is a fixed price for cars.

the same happened to me, the same car behind, but with few windows extra paid less. Fecking thieves... Now am going through the town, if I have to go northwards, takes longer, but I don't mind it, once in a while.

But, personally, I don't think that there will be any change in this daylight robbery.
This deal was done for pretty thick brown envelope, I think and it brings a lot of cash for the owner, no matter who it is. Gov is buying that bloody bridge for 720 mil, if I am correct and there will be no change in toll collecting, except some details, but it'll get worse.

The only solution I can see, is the boycot of toll bridge, going through the town and causing havoc, I think, that week of this should be more than sufficient, but again, who can afford to sit in city centre for hours instead of making money to pay mortgage...

art

ninja900 wrote:

It's been tried a few times here on a small scale.
Anyway given the "I'm all right Jack" attitude of the average Irish person (and bikers are even worse) collective action is doomed to failure in this country! That's what many years of involvement in MAG has taught me, the average rider loves to whinge into their pint about anything and everything but won't lift a finger (or even stop voting the same morons in every time) to do a damn thing about it.

Depressing thought but sadly very true.

I just avoid the M50 mostly - biking is about taking corners not driving past parked cars!

Quint

art wrote:

I just avoid the M50 mostly - biking is about taking corners not driving past parked cars!

Some of us use our bikes every day!

macnab

I have to say i was on the fence on this issue untill last night. I missed the Lucan exit due to roadworks and next thing heres the toll booths on front of me. I was a little annoyed but decided to pull up and root out the money. Then I saw that not all the booths were manned so i just rode off through one of the unmanned lanes.

gok

I use the M50 everyday and have an easypass and I use the dedicated lanes on the right. The beacon didn't seem to be doing too good a job till quite recently but I think they must have turned up the power because even when I go through at about 30 kph (to the right of barrier in that gap!) its registering now.
I think they must be on to me too, using that gap to the right of the barrier because they have placed a traffic cone on the left of the northbound lane which makes it difficult to swing around the barrier and avoid a read:mad:
be much appreciated if anyone can have that cone removed out of the northbound lane. Its also a little dangerous
gok

art

Quint wrote:

Some of us use our bikes every day!

I use my bike everyday

Quint

art wrote:

I use my bike everyday

And never go past traffic? It's hard to get the knee down commuting past rush hour traffic

Dr Pepper

Good for you, OP! M50 toll is a disgrace. I don't mind paying for something but the bridge has been payed for several times over at this stage... and now we have to buy the bridge again? Of course, wouldn't be a problem if the idiots in government at the time had a bit of foresight or even cared about anyone other than fatcat scum.. B$$$$$ds! Arg!!

Saruman

I have not used in in years! I do not even use it for work even though i can claim back in expenses. I just refuse to pay them money. Especially since they started charging over €3 for commercial vehicles.
I find it quicker taking the back roads through clonsilla/liexlip. I avoid the M50 & N4 (lucan bottleneck) all in one go