M50 tolls south of N4 once upon a time?

Time Magazine · 13-03-2022 11:51pm #1

Hello,

My Dad swears, and I mean swears, that the country was on the cusp of building toll booths on the M50 south of the N4. He hand on heart says he saw them constructing them, and this was maybe the 90s. Says it got scrapped in the end.

I can find nothing about this. Not a whimper. So it seems like a red herring to me, but he would have been on that road a couple times a week at the time, and seems certain.

Does anyone remember talk of tolls south of the N4? I seem to have a recollection myself but I was only a kid.

Any comments welcome. Thanks!

outlyer · 14-03-2022 12:13am

yep, all the on-ramps on the original section of the M50 had toll booth plinths on day one. Removed about 1999 during minor upgrade works.

Time Magazine · 15-03-2022 1:06pm

Thanks, outlyer. So my Dad’s not losing his marbles, that’s a relief anyway!

Can you remember (or does anyone else know) what the story with them was? Was there a plan to charge money there, or were NTR chancing their arm, or were Transport doing it or what? Why were they built if they never used them, did the EU step in or something?

Del2005 · 15-03-2022 1:12pm

There is still talk of tolling the exits of the M50. Saying that its unfair to only pay for the section between the N4 and N3 so the rest should be tolled. Good idea to create chaos in the suburbs because there is no public transport alternative for most people who use the M50, so just a money making scam like increasing the toll on the other State owner toll bridge in Dublin.

Seth Brundle · 15-03-2022 1:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118787784#Comment_118787784

Good idea to create chaos in the suburbs because there is no public transport alternative for most people who use the M50, so just a money making scam like increasing the toll on the other State owner toll bridge in Dublin.

I presume what you meant to say is that we don't have the bus network that was proposed by transport experts but was shouted down by NIMBY politicians and locals who didn't want to lose their parking spaces?

unkel · 15-03-2022 1:16pm

It's ridiculous to have toll on the ring road around a major city that is there to prevent traffic from going through the city centre. Inter city motorway tolls are fair enough, but not on city motorways!

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2022 2:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118787811#Comment_118787811

Why are you creating an arbitrary distinction between the same roads that serve the same purpose (keep traffic out of urbanised areas)? Either's its fair to charge tolls for using (for whatever purpose) an expensive road or it isn't.

salmocab · 15-03-2022 2:49pm

I think really it was a toll for the bridge itself. I distinctly remember the east and west link bridges bring a thing.

LXFlyer · 15-03-2022 2:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118787803#Comment_118787803

You are conflating two totally separate projects here.

1) The revised bus network

2) The bus corridors (infrastructure) project

The revised network is currently being implemented.

The original network proposal was not fit for purpose due to the ludicrous parameters that the NTA set for Jarrett Walker, the transport experts, to work within.

Those NTA parameters involved removing bus services from many communities and required far too many people who had a direct bus to change en route to reach the city or to change onto already full to capacity trains and trams.

That rightly was shot down and a revised proposal was prepared which is now being implemented.

By the end of this year most of the new outer orbital bus routes will have launched across the city. The inner orbital bus routes will launch next year.

Fr Tod Umptious · 15-03-2022 3:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118788323#Comment_118788323

I think you are correct.

The East Link Toll bridge opened around 1984.

The West Link around 1991.

The toll is for the bridge rather than for the road.

salmocab · 15-03-2022 3:30pm

It’s probably all convoluted but originally when it opened it was only ballymount to Blanch and as far as I remember it was the west link, I’m sure someone along the way thought actually if we quietly drop the bridge bit at some stage people will forget and we can charge for the road usage.

yhe reality I think is removing the toll would absolutely block up an already blocked up bit of road. However adding tolls for sections would absolutely block up areas around the m50 turning the areas surrounding it into rat runs.

I think we are just stuck with what we have.

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2022 12:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118788672#Comment_118788672

They already are. Congestion can't get 'worse' if roads are at max capacity for 2 hours in the morning and same in the evening, as was the case immediately before covid.

Tolls can actually reduce overall car journeys, we already know that extra roads can't.

And no, not every passenger car journey in Dublin is because "They don't have a reasonable public transport alternative!" and it's ludicrous and insane to argue that it is.

salmocab · 16-03-2022 1:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118792875#Comment_118792875

Why would you put the last paragraph in? You for some reason tell me what I would have argued and proceed to tell me why I’m wrong in the argument you imagined.

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2022 6:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118793040#Comment_118793040

Another user had already made that exact argument several posts before, and your post was pretty clear in its implications as to 'tolling just driving congestions to surrounding roads' rather than reducing overall private car journeys and leading to more public transport journeys.

By all means though, pretend you don't understand the concept of an open discussion thread and act offended as a result.

Perhaps while you're at it you can also tell me which areas around the M50 aren't currently rat runs, and where all the free road capacity exists that M50 traffic can move on to?

salmocab · 16-03-2022 7:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118794741#Comment_118794741

So your standing over your assertion of an argument I would have made because someone else said something similar earlier? Jesus Christ that’s some stance. I also didn’t suggest there was any free capacity in places for traffic to move to, that also is a figment of your imagination. Have you any other things you want to pretend I suggested? You don’t need a discussion board at all if you can manage both sides of an imaginary discussion. Be sure and let me know the result when you’ve decided it.

M50 tolls south of N4 once upon a time?

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