Car insurance brand Quote Devil has reported that accusations of ‘blatant profiteering’ and calls for the M50 toll to be abolished were among complaints received by the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in the wake of recent toll increases.
Many complaints were submitted within days of the original TII announcement that most tolls would be increasing by 20 cent per journey from the first of January.
In one case, a motorist who had just bought an electric vehicle in recent months said it was ‘hugely frustrating’ that they were being faced with an increase in tolls along with the removal on the same date of the Low Emissions Vehicle Toll Incentive Scheme which provided a 50% discount on tolls.
In another complaint, a self-declared young driver said that the toll increase represented an extra €50 on top of their monthly expenses which was ‘extortionate’. The driver said the cost of living crisis was making it very difficult and ‘That’s why I want the m50 toll to be abolished.’
The fact that the toll increase was the second brought in by TII in less than a year wasn’t lost on some of the complainants. One person asked why ‘aren’t our elected representatives screaming from the rooftops, putting an end to this vulgar, in all but name, levie’
Complaints made recently to the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), were released to Quote Devil following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Another motorist queried the fairness of having a poll at just one point on the M50 and wondered if an exit toll from the M50 would be more equitable. They gave the example of their nephew who commutes from Lucan to Blanchardstown and pays nearly €90 per month and this ‘reinforced how unfair the toll payments process is.’
Another person complained about the toll on the Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge and that it was ‘unjust and completely unfair to the people of Drogheda.’
‘Drogheda is the only town in the country with toll booths located in the town.’ they wrote.
‘Not only do motorists have to pay a toll to enter and leave the town, they must pay a toll to cross the town if they use the bridge’.
One person noted that the increase could encourage motorists to look for alternative routes to avoid the tolls. “The small country towns and Dublin streets will be a lot busier now in the new year by this illegal increase on the road,” they told the TII.
Commenting on the public’s response to the toll increases, Conor Mulcahy from Quote Devil said, “It is clear that drivers are feeling the strain of the recent toll increases. Though tolls have increased, many motorists could see savings by registering for a Toll Tag”.
In total, there are ten toll roads on the national network – eight of which are operated under a “public-private partnership” model and two directly managed by TII – namely, the M50 and Dublin Tunnel.
