Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The M50 toll is going up again. Since 2018, eFlow's annual revenue has increased by about 37%. Total revenue up to August was roughly €1.3 billion. It is a staggering sum.

It highlights a system that is extracting more and more from motorists year after year. A single fixed toll point at the West-Link Bridge means drivers pay the same charge whether they travel 2 km or 20 km or whether they drive at 8 a.m. or midnight. This flat rate model is economically regressive, much like a flat tax, placing a disproportionate burden on short-distance, lower-income users, the same commuters going to work and the same communities who also live with the impact of toll avoiders through more congestion, more pollution and more frustration. A modern, equitable approach would be to consider distance-based, time variable tolling, tax relief for commuters or scrap it altogether. The Government needs to step in here and request a TII feasibility study, drive reform and put an end to this highway robbery.

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