Toll exemption for adapted vehicles

Mystified

I have been driving a specially adapted vehicle for a passenger - my wife - for over a year but have only recently become aware of the toll exemption for such vehicles. However there is some ambiguity and anomaly issues.
The ambiguity arises in the bye laws for the toll operators which refers to toll exemption for "Specially adapted vehicles driven by disabled persons". What about vehicles where the disabled person is a passenger? The toll operators require a photo of the disabled person when an application is made for a special pass which results in the necessity for the disabled person to be actually in the car to avail of the exemption. What about when the disabled passenger is being delivered to some facility and be collected later? That means 4 journeys two of which will not be exempt.
The anomaly arises in the case of the West Link toll which operates by optical recognition of the registration number and can recognise road tax exempt vehicles. The requirement of the disabled driver/passenger to be in the car does not arise.
Any comments?

Victor

Talk to the Disabled Drivers Association and the Irish Wheelchair Association.

Separately, note that the rules on parking badges were changed today. http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0601/parking.html

skippy2

my understanding is it is the car that is adapted and the car that qualifies as opposed to the person in it. I thought the disabled person had to be the driver as in my case. So when coming to the toll on the way back from Dublin to Cork, my wife was driving so i thought we better swap over so i asked the lady at the toll booth and she said no need to be driving as it was the car that was exempt. Hope this helps

Mystified

when I first became aware of the exemption sometime last year I went to the East Link Bridge office (this is the Liffey crossing which I use frequently) and they made a photo copy of my tax disc and highlighted the word "EXEMPT" on it. They said I should produce this when using the bridge.
However when travelling to Cork earlier this year that "permit" was not acceptable and I was told I would have to apply for a separate permit. The application form included a request for a photo of the disabled person which suggests that the disabled person needs to be in the car (whether driving or as a passenger) in order to avail of the exemption. The toll crossings/roads operate under bye laws which state in relation to this question that exemption applies to "Specially adapted vehicles driven by disabled persons." see http://www.nra.ie/GeneralTollingInformation/StatutoryNotices/Archive-TollingDocumentation/file,17521,en.pdf --- see 2nd Schedule.

While in practice one will probably enjoy the exemption whether the disabled person is driving or not the bye law explicitly states ".....driven by disabled persons". In my case my wife who is disabled does not drive at all. That's what set me off inquiring into this matter.

Victor

The East Link is about the only toll not controleld by the NRA, so the situation is slightly different.

Joey the lips

I have ventured down this road as well. I agree that its an ass of a situation in its techanical workings. However they point out that

1. The pass is not actually for you but your passanger. The financial gain is to your passanger who is not with you at that moment.

2. According to the revenue when the passanger is not in the car you should not be claiming vat etc on diesel/petrol so equally you should not be entitled to the toll.

for the record i agree with you however i would love to know how it is preposed to win this debate especially with more tolls being considered