New tolls considered for M50, M9, others

TJM

NEW TOLLS on Dublin’s M50, a second toll on the Dublin to Waterford motorway and a handful of tolls in the midlands and west are to be considered under Government plans to raise additional revenue from roads.

While new tolls on national roads are being seen as long term and politically and practically difficult, a number of “obvious opportunities” have been mentioned by transport sources.

These include extending barrier-free tolling to additional sections of the M50, and the installation of a second toll on the M9 Dublin to Waterford route.

The M9 is to be the only one of the State’s inter-urban motorways that has just one toll – that on the Suir bridge close to Waterford city – when all the motorways are completed this year.

Other possibilities include tolling stretches of the Limerick to Cork route, the Jack Lynch tunnel and a range of bypasses such as Youghal and Ballincollig in Co Cork. Others include parts of the N52 around Tullamore.

The Gort to Tuam road in Galway, part of which is already under construction, is to be a tolled motorway and a new toll on the Limerick to Gort section is a possibility.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0726/1224275468010.html

Cookie_Monster

The M50 is supposed to take traffic out of the city and off local roads. Tolling it again will achieve exactly the opposite effect.

Yet another stupid idea to tax motorists even more.
How are transport companies supposed to absorb these hits again?

Typewriter

That story is a few days old and was only rumour it was in Saturdays evening echo and examiner. It is also poorly written and researched. There is no toll on the M9 at all so there cant be a second let alone a first.

Tolling on existing roads is not going to happen. It was ruled out by the government yesterday.

If you watched or read the news you'd know that.

Highly Salami

green_jesus wrote: »

Tolling on existing roads is not going to happen. It was ruled out by the government yesterday.

The current government are flip-flopping around like a fish out of water on the issue of new taxes/levies/tolls etc. One day they say they want water charges or property taxes, next day they don't, then back again. I think we'll have to wait and see, I wouldnt say anything is not going to happen at this stage.

Wibbler

Highly Salami wrote: »

The current government are flip-flopping around like a fish out of water on the issue of new taxes/levies/tolls etc. One day they say they want water charges or property taxes, next day they don't, then back again. I think we'll have to wait and see, I wouldnt say anything is not going to happen at this stage.

Far be it from me to cheer lead for our gubermint, but the toll proposal was in a report prepared for the government. The government has considered the report and ruled that aspect out. Not exactly flip-flopping, but it does remind me of the Snip report and how that was handled :-)

TJM

Wibbler wrote: »

Far be it from me to cheer lead for our gubermint, but the toll proposal was in a report prepared for the government. The government has considered the report and ruled that aspect out.

Do you have a link / more details?

Cookie_Monster

green_jesus wrote: »

If you watched or read the news you'd know that.

story for this only appeared this morning, you are thinking of the national roads toll.

trellheim

All depends on the next GDP numbers really doesn't it ? gotta get that cash from somewhere.

The thing stopping the M50 etc being further tolled is inward investment. Having two tolls makes us seriously uncompetitive [ e.g. shipping from Sandyford say ]

Typewriter

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

story for this only appeared this morning, you are thinking of the national roads toll.

Check the date of that article.

loyatemu

trellheim wrote: »

All depends on the next GDP numbers really doesn't it ? gotta get that cash from somewhere.

The thing stopping the M50 etc being further tolled is inward investment. Having two tolls makes us seriously uncompetitive [ e.g. shipping from Sandyford say ]

introducing a second toll would be crazy - the obvious thing is to extend the existing toll to cover the entire motorway, it would be fairer. Put number-plate cameras on each section & have the toll cover usage for a certain time-period.

(though personally I don't think ring roads and bypasses should be tolled at all but thats a different argument)

seamus

Shipping and traffic will put the brakes on any plan to put extra tolls on the M50.

The M50 bridge toll is accepted because the alternatives to that route are 5 to 20 times longer (timewise), depending on the time of day. The port tunnel toll is accepted because it is both a quicker route to the port *and* Mon-Fri it takes freight traffic out of the city.

Putting tolls along the length of the M50 will cause people to take more direct routes - given the choice, I would rather spend 90 minutes crossing from Dundrum to Swords through the city centre, rather than 30 minutes and €15 to take the M50.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

trellheim

It would work if you exempted trucks from the tolls, like the Port tunnel. As I recall the M50 south bit was supposed to be tolled but it was pulled as a political favour.

galwayrush

I imagine the Greens would toll a lot of existing roads if they had their way.:rolleyes:

dermo88

They would tax breathing if they had their way. Theres only one way around it. Massive civil disobedience. If enough people do it, its checkmate.

TJM

Can anyone comment on the practicality of these suggestions? Presumably it would be prohibitive to build toll booths on the existing motorways so that number plate cameras (along the lines of the Westlink) would be used instead.