Toll charges on most toll roads around the country are to increase to their “maximum level” from 1 January 2023.
The price hikes are linked to the current rate of inflation, which has increased by 8.6% between August 2021 and August 2022.
The tolls cannot be increased beyond this rate.
There are 10 toll roads on the national road network.
Eight are operated under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, while two – the M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel – are operated directly on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
The Dublin Port Tunnel is the only route that will not be affected by price increases.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland said revenue is used for purposes including motorway maintenance, toll collection and operations, and for the maintenance of the wider national road network.
M50 tolls
Toll prices for car and bus journeys on the M50 will increase by either 20 cent or 30 cent depending on the payment method.
For tag users, they will rise from €2.10 to €2.30, while those captured on video will rise from €2.70 to €2.90.
The toll for unregistered cars will increase by 30 cent from €3.20 to €3.50.
The price for goods vehicles using the M50 will also rise by between 20 cent and 60 cent per journey, depending on the size of the vehicle and the payment method.
TII said that there has been no price increases for cars using the tag payment method for the last 10 years.
In a statement it said that M50 tolls pay for the maintenance and operation of the motorway and that a deferment of the toll increase would have meant funding would need to be reallocated from other national road projects and a reduction in funding for asset management and renewal activities.
PPP tolls
The eight other toll roads operated by PPP companies submitted their toll charge calculations to increase to the maximum level as part of their annual plans.
These increases were reviewed and agreed with by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
TII said there have been minimal increases in these tolls in the last decade apart from 2022.
The price for a car using the M4 motorway will jump by 20 cent, from €3.00 to €3.20.
While a car using the other seven toll roads (M1, M3, M7/M8, M8, N6, N25WF, N18-LT) will be charged 10 cent more.
Dublin Port Tunnel
There will be no price increases for motorists using the Dublin Port Tunnel.
HGVs currently travel toll-free through the port tunnel.
TII said that tolling on this route is intended to manage demand at peak times and ensure HGV movements to and from Dublin Port are not impeded with additional traffic and congestion.
It said that there is no current justification for raising the toll charges on non-HGVs, given the fact that the current arrangements are effective for managing demand.
The rise in toll charges are “significant increases” and happening at a time when motorists are feeling the pinch already with price hikes, Paddy Comyn, Head of Communication at AA Ireland has said.
He said the reason for the increase is for the general upkeep of the tolled roads and they will happen across the motorway network except for the Port Tunnel.
The M50, the country’s busiest motorway, brought in €140 million in tolls and fines last year, Mr Comyn said.
He said the M50 was the “victim of bad planning” with constant changes being made to improve it.
Article Source – Toll charges rising to ‘maximum level’ from January – RTE
