Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

While the Government is spending billions to ease acute cost-of-living pressures, it is then taking it back in the form of tolls. The highest rise in tolls of 60 cent per journey was confirmed last week by the State agency Transport Infrastructure Ireland, with the blessing of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. While the decision to defer these increases for six months announced today was welcome, this leads to kicking the issue down the road. Let us take note that the decision by Transport Infrastructure Ireland flies in the face of Government policies. As these private companies are already making millions of euro in profits, how can Transport Infrastructure Ireland justify the increase in toll charges to the maximum permitted value? I am aware that the surge in inflation has resulted in the higher cost of materials for road repairs and the general rising cost of operations. My question, however, would be to ask whether toll prices need to increase to their maximum permitted value. Just last month, for example, the M3 toll operators reported €11 million in profit for the previous financial year. While this will be the first rise in M50 tolls for a decade, an additional point I will make is that we have paid for this infrastructure ten times over. Research shows that commuters have already paid €1.2 billion for the M50 tolls in the past nine years. Taxpayers have already paid millions of euro in traffic-guarantee payments to private toll companies over the past three years due to the low levels of traffic on the motorways as a result of the pandemic. These toll increases are only further taxation. It does not matter what label one puts on it because it is a further taxation in a highly-taxed environment.

The M50 brought in €140 million in revenue last year, which was a year of curtailed movement and economic activity and it has brought in €1.2 billion over the past ten years. This is not just on the M50 but it is happening all over the country. These are some of the most attractive companies for public private partnership contracts and they are cash cows. These are huge revenue-raisers for the State for reinvestment in our road network but what has happened now is in an undefined and unexplained grab for the maximum allowance of revenue for these companies under the guise of keeping up with inflation.

Rural areas within my constituency of Louth and east Meath will be the hardest hit by all these toll increases. Whether that is now or in six months' time, the situation will not change. These are the people who are dependent on private car use due to the lack of transport infrastructure.

A key goal of policy is to get people out of their cars, which will inevitably involve higher charges for motorists across a range of areas. I understand that there is a modal shift to change to public transport and perhaps this is the main reason for the Minister’s support for this increase. However, I am disappointed that the 8.6% rise in the toll from 21 August 2021 to August 2022 is being continued by Transport Infrastructure Ireland against this maximum increase. Big hikes in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis are not a good idea. Does the Minister know that inflation will have settled by June and the cost of living crisis will have abated? If inflation rates are low, will that mean that the increase will not be required? What is the general idea about kicking the can down the road? It is the regular users which will be exposed, including commercial fleets and daily commuters and the timing could hardly be worse. All the Minister is doing is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

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