Why are Toll Bridge Charges not coming down?

kluivert

We are being told that the cost living is coming down and yet toll bridge charges still remain high.

OH goes to work its 1.90e there and another 1.90e back.

Surely Toll Charges should be bought back in line with other reductions.

Who is the best organisatonal to start petition against these charges.

Tipsy Mac

They have upward only toll contracts. The M50 being state run might be possible but the rest no chance.

Berty

The Toll Plaza's have been contracted to receive a certain minimum per day/week/month/year and any shortfall is covered by the government so unless the Toll companies volunteer to reduce their prices then forget about it.

mikewest

Berty wrote: »

The Toll Plaza's have been contracted to receive a certain minimum per day/week/month/year and any shortfall is covered by the government so unless the Toll companies volunteer to reduce their prices then forget about it.

Is this true and do you have any links to this. I have been looking for this information regarding the M4 Eurolink PPP specifically the need for the state to pay the toll operator in the event of the toll road becoming loss making.

_Kaiser_

mikewest wrote: »

Is this true and do you have any links to this. I have been looking for this information regarding the M4 Eurolink PPP specifically the need for the state to pay the toll operator in the event of the toll road becoming loss making.

Far as I'm aware (and from what I've read over on Commuting/Transport), the only road this applies to is the upcoming M3?

Saruman

Wait till you see, come Christmas we will see notices at toll booths that from January the tolls will be increasing. It happens every year, inflation is the usual excuse.

kluivert

I really hate this government and this country right now.

Will the Tolls every be lifted off the motorways??

I know and agreed that the private investors should have a return on their captial of say 25% over 10 years or something but continous tolls are a pain.

Note for Drogheda.

Only copped on that you can get a ticket at the toll for entering Drogheda so you dont get tolled twice.

Didnt see how long it lasts for though.

Zube

kluivert wrote: »

Will the Tolls every be lifted off the motorways??

No, when the PPP contracts run out, the Government will collect the tolls directly.

Absurdum

kluivert wrote: »

Will the Tolls every be lifted off the motorways??

maybe when we, the motorist and consumer, grow some balls and stand up for ourselves

I'd wager that hitching a lift over the tolls on a flying pig will happen before that though:(:(

Berty

It is always funny to think that Cork can have and build the Jack Lynch tunnel but in the case of Limerick it must be paid for.

Saruman, inflation? The economy is in deflation at the moment so prices should not go up, no?

Heroditas

kluivert wrote: »

Will the Tolls every be lifted off the motorways??

No, the government will simply use the "Green" agenda to keep the tolls, arguing that if we travel less, we won't have to pay the charges. Oh and we can save a polar bear or two at the same time. :rolleyes:

Absurdum

Heroditas wrote: »

No, the government will simply use the "Green" agenda to keep the tolls, arguing that if we travel less, we won't have to pay the charges. Oh and we can save a polar bear or two at the same time. :rolleyes:

or we can use the slower, more polluting, more dangerous routes

brandon_flowers

I think its National Toll Roads have the contract for the M50 if thats who you want to give out to, they are a utilities type company that also have an interest in broadband. Im not sure who has the PPP for Fermoy bypass and the Waterford one is Ascon/Dragados so the toll money is either going to the Netherlands or Spain. I think Ferrovial (also Spanish) were trying to muscle in on some PPP project as well because the toll would have been so lucrative.

Slightly OT but NTR's chief executive Tom Roche is a serious operator, and is married to PV Doyle's daughter as far as I know-now one of the richest familys in Ireland because of all the eejits paying so much for all their hotels in Ballsbridge. I remember one of the Doyles saying the werent going to reinvest the money just keep it because it was such a stupid price to get.

Turbulent Bill

Tolls won't come down simply because there's no incentive to for the operators. The only competitor(s) (i.e., the untolled equivalent route(s) from A-to-B) will always have the advantage price-wise, so the tolled routes have to compete by offering more convenience and/or shorter journey times.

If lots (and lots) of people decided to take the untolled routes then prices would fall, but the chances of this happening are slim.

Most of this stems from the Government's inadequate tolling policy over many years, and short-sighted decisions over PP contract lengths.

Dartz

I'm designing a little flap that will cover my cars registration at the moment I got throuigh the toll gates, operating by a button on the steering wheel.

I plan to make millions with it.

"It's to stop it from getting dirty on a mucky road officer, I swear!"

Absurdum

Dartz wrote: »

I'm designing a little flap that will cover my cars registration at the moment I got throuigh the toll gates, operating by a button on the steering wheel.

I'll take 4 plz

a sustained campaign of non-cooperation on the M50 toll is do-able though, imagine if 50,000+ people took off their tags for a week, the system would implode!

Dartz

Absurdum wrote: »

I'll take 4 plz

a sustained campaign of non-cooperation on the M50 toll is do-able though, imagine if 50,000+ people took off their tags for a week, the system would implode!

It would work.

But does anybody want to go through all that fuss?
Does anybody want to risk being the one singled out to be made an example off. No.