In what will come as bad news for Irish motorists, toll charges on Irish roads are set to rise to their maximum rates.
Toll charges on the vast majority of Irish toll roads are set to be increased to their “maximum” rates from 1 July. This change comes in response to what they claim to be the increasing inflation rate.
The increases were initially scheduled to come into effect at the beginning of the year, but the government postponed their introduction for six months because of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland – claims that the price increase is due to inflation
In a statement released on Tuesday (6 June), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) explained that the current high inflation rate caused the reasoning behind their increase in toll prices.
They also referenced that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 8.6% between August 2021 and August 2022 and that tolls cannot rise above this new rate.
“Toll revenue is used for purposes including motorway maintenance, toll collection and operations, and for the maintenance of the wider national road network,” TII said in a statement. This announcement from TII came just a week after the increase of excise duty on fuel.
Toll charges – to rise to their ‘maximum’ rates
As part of the increase in toll charges, toll prices for motor cars (up to eight passengers and a driver) on the M50 will experience a rise of either 20% or 30%, depending on payment method.
Tag users will see their costs increase from €2.10 to €2.30, with those being captured on video experiencing an increase in costs from €2.70 to €2.90, and unregistered cars will increase from €3.20 to €3.50.
The prices for goods vehicles using the motorway will also increase by between 20% and 60%. The rate of the increase will depend on the vehicle’s size and the payment method used.
Those wishing to use a car on the M4 motorway will pay an additional 20 cents, which will see the price go from €3.00 to €3.20, while the other seven toll roads will cost 10 cents extra.
The national road network – comprised of ten toll roads
Ireland‘s national road network comprises ten toll roads in total. Eight of these toll roads are operated under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, with the other two being the Dublin Port Tunnel and the M50, which are operated directly by TII.
The increase in toll charges came about when the PPP companies submitted their toll charge calculations as part of their annual toll plans. The TII then reviewed these submissions and agreed with them about introducing maximum toll charges.
However, TII revealed that the Dublin Port Tunnel would not increase its tolls in 2023.
