Why Do Ireland's Motorways Have Tolls?

cgcsb

Tell me how wrote: »

Formulation of the 'Republic of Dublin' Thread is that way.

Not sure I know what you mean?

Arthur Daley

We would often get told the EU built the motorways.

Turns out we are paying for it all along.

cgcsb

Arthur Daley wrote: »

We would often get told the EU built the motorways.

Turns out we are paying for it all along.

There were EU grants for some motorway schemes alright. But we pay into the EU more than we get out, so it's a bit of a moot point.

Tell me how

cgcsb wrote: »

There were EU grants for some motorway schemes alright. But we pay into the EU more than we get out, so it's a bit of a moot point.

Between 1973 and 2014 we received more from the EU than we paid each year, most of the motorways were heavily funded from EU funds during this period.

L1011

Arthur Daley wrote: »

We would often get told the EU built the motorways.

Turns out we are paying for it all along.

EU money mostly paid for the wide single carriageway roads that were replaced rapidly for being underspec

blackwhite

Tell me how wrote: »

It was discussed on Pat Kenny show this morning.
Seems to have originated from a financial need to pay for the road and so a toll was placed on it.
However, once the revenue was flowing, nobody in charge was eager to say the road was paid for and so they remained. Has led to some fairly chronic scenarios including the government having to buy back the M50 Toll from an operator for, I think, €600M or so and the current Mullingar (I think, but could be wrong) bypass hardly being used and so the town is still full of traffic due to the toll on the bypass. Due to the low traffic through the toll, the operator is being paid a penalty by the NRA because the traffic is so low.

There's no toll, nor has there ever been a toll, on the Mullingar bypass.

Tell me how

blackwhite wrote: »

There's no toll, nor has there ever been a toll, on the Mullingar bypass.

I know.

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Mullingar by-pass was never tolled.
I reckon you're thinking of the M3 motorway.

blackwhite

Tell me how wrote: »

I know.

Apologies - reading the thread from first post onwards

Jonathan1990

magicbastarder wrote: »

first motorway was opened in 1983, and 20 years ago there were bugger all motorways, let alone 40 years ago.
most of the main motorways were only completed in the last 10 or 12 years.

I'm guessing that the first motorway in Ireland was the M50 Dublin bypass and all the old N roads are now R ones if I am right.

marno21

Jonathan1990 wrote: »

I'm guessing that the first motorway in Ireland was the M50 Dublin bypass and all the old N roads are now R ones if I am right.

The first motorway was the M7 Naas bypass, followed by the M1 Airport-Whitehall

The first part of the M50 opened in 1990.

Many of the old N roads are R roads, some have become national secondaries (N8 Durrow-Portlaoise became N77 for example)