Limerick tunnel toll rip-off

thesimpsons

ok so technically the tunnel isn't being tolled but you can travel hundreds of km on the motorway but you have to pay to go across the tunnel. Regular Nenagh to Shannon workers I know already planning on leaving the bypass out by cement roundabout, travel the Dock Road/Condel Rd and back on again by the Radisson - time will be lost but refusing to pay the toll. False economy - I dunno, but thats the thinking. Still think 1.50 would have been an easier toll. Easier to have a bag of 50c coins in the car than loads of the loose change now needed. Though I guess Tolltag/credit card system or similiar will probably cover it as well. Mind you, I'm hoping everyone does use the tunnel - it doesn't help me in the least on daily commute but it'd certainly free up Condel/Dock road for me.

Mc Love

I dont agree with the way they are going about it, there should be an e-flow system

rubensni

thesimpsons wrote: »

ok so technically the tunnel isn't being tolled

How do you mean it's not being tolled?

Berty

rubensni wrote: »

How do you mean it's not being tolled?

I think he meant the Motorway as such is not tolled very much except for the tunnel. You will be able to drive from Portlaoise to Limerick, leave the Motorway on the dock road, rejoin it at the Radisson and avoid the Toll meaning you can use over 100km of motorway and not pay for the tunnel.

@ McLove, there is going to be an E Flow System.

https://www.directroute.ie/directroute/get-passdirect

Okay, it currently refers to the Cork Toll but it will be for both.

thesimpsons

ninty9er wrote: »

The Jack Lynch Tunnell is on a ring road of a much smaller scale.

The Limerick Tunnel is NOT BEING TOLLED, the Southern By-Pass is!

Rubensni, I was replying to ninty9er's comment that the tunnel isn't being tolled, its the Southern by-pass that is. However, as Berty agrees, you can travel 100km on the by-pass but can't use the tunnel without paying the toll so in all reality, it is the tunnel that is being tolled.

Berty

Let's put it this way. The Southerin Ring Road from Patrickswell to the Dublin road was built by one contracting company for the NRA and the Roxboro to the Radission, to include the tunnel, is being built by a different company.

The PPP Company Direct Route are being allowed to recoup the costs of building such an expensive tunnel by tolling that specific section.

The Southern ring road is to become both a southern ring road and the M7, M18, M20 as it spawns off in different directions.

It can be avoided but not easily if you do not like traffic lights, traffic, pedestrian crossings, lower speed limits etc.

If I am working I will use it because somebody else will pay for it. If its on my own personal time and Im going to Ennis, West Clare or Galway I will use it. If Im only going to Shannon, Sixmilebridge, Bunratty etc I will not use it.

The same will apply in Portlaoise when the Motorway opens. The M7 will meet up with the M8 down by Rathdowney and we will all proceed into a Toll Plaza, however if you exit at Mountrath and rejoin at Portaloise you will not pay. Easily done and because of the Motorway you will get to Dublin faster than before anyway.

However, avoiding the M8 Toll Plaza is a little more difficult. You must pass through Watergrasshill, Rathcormac and Fermoy to avoid paying the €1.80.

I don't know about other Toll Plaza's other than trying to avoid the M50 Toll which is a waste of time as the traffic you hit on the back roads through Lucan and into Blanchardstown is not worth it.

unnameduser

People this side of the country are not used to paying tolls.

Roll tolls are a fact of life now. Anything that shortens my journey is worth every cent.


Edit - just noticed the date of these thread - oops

Liam Byrne

OK - here's an account from an actual user from today.

About 5 mins saved each way compared to my usual trip to Ennis. Admittedly that's partly because of the slow, convoluted rat-run required to get onto the bypass, but it's still a factor.

Given that it's a Bank Holiday, that's good.

But on a normal weekend, there's no way I'd pay €3.60 to save 10 - 12 mins.

So the tunnel fails in its objective; I'll use it on Bank Holiday weekends and on an occasion that there's a big match in Thomond or The Gaelic Grounds, but not otherwise.

unnameduser

I haven't actually travelled the tunnel yet so I can't quote time differences but lets not forget that there also is the ohjective of reducing traffic in the city.

Liam Byrne

unnameduser wrote: »

I haven't actually travelled the tunnel yet so I can't quote time differences but lets not forget that there also is the ohjective of reducing traffic in the city.

......which won't be met if the cost of using the tunnel doesn't reflect time saved, etc.

The bottom line is that most people I've spoken to have serious reservations about using it.

Maybe at peak times there's an hour saving, so two hours a day might be worth €800 a year to some, but as I said before, if it was €1 each way most people wouldn't think twice (even though it still adds up to €400 a year), and therefore
it might reduce traffic.

But if most people are going "€800 on top of car tax and fuel taxes??" then they won't use it, so their cars will still be going through the city, meaning there won't be much of a traffic reduction.

Kess73

Liam Byrne wrote: »

......which won't be met if the cost of using the tunnel doesn't reflect time saved, etc.

The bottom line is that most people I've spoken to have serious reservations about using it.

Maybe at peak times there's an hour saving, so two hours a day might be worth €800 a year to some, but as I said before, if it was €1 each way most people wouldn't think twice (even though it still adds up to €400 a year), and therefore
it might reduce traffic.

But if most people are going "€800 on top of car tax and fuel taxes??" then they won't use it, so their cars will still be going through the city, meaning there won't be much of a traffic reduction.

If the plans for turning a large chunk of O' Connell street into a pedestrian street goes ahead, coupled with the one lane system that has been signed off for William Street, then motorists may be forced to avoid the city anyway and use the tunnel and Dock road.

Xennon

Motorbikes__________€0.90
Cars_______________€1.80
Buses______________€3.20
Commercial .5t____€3.20
>3.5t 2/3 axle_______€4.50
>3.5t 4+ axle________€5.70

I think its a pity that commercial vehicles have to pay so much compared to a car. I don't see the logic in it other than you are penalizing commercial traffic for using a bypass. I drive a commercial jeep, some lad in the same civilian version of the jeep pays €1.40 less than I do.....why?

Can you imagine what courier companies have to pay per year on tolls? Surely we should be encouraging trucks etc to use the bypasses and do so at a reasonable cost that encourages them to do so.

I hope at least Dolans get their parking spaces back so they can start doing lunches again.

Berty

Xennon wrote: »

I drive a commercial jeep, some lad in the same civilian version of the jeep pays €1.40 less than I do.....why?

There is a possibility you are carrying a higher laden weight than a passenger vehicle.

Bear in mind my 3 door Astra has been mistaken by Cashier(prior to tag) as a Commerical because the rear windows are so dark.

Xennon wrote: »

Can you imagine what courier companies have to pay per year on tolls? Surely we should be encouraging trucks etc to use the bypasses and do so at a reasonable cost that encourages them to do so.

VAT registered companies can claim back the VAT.

phog

My sister drives a 4 wheel drive jeep, GB Reg and she had to pay €3.20, her vehicle is not a commercial vehicle but the attendant would only raise the barrier after she coughed up €3.20.

She drove from Belfast to Limerick in last few days and her vehicle was classed as a private vehicle in all other toll plazas.

What's happening in Limerick?

VanV

I used it today to go out to Shannon and it makes a world of difference time wise. Thought €1.80 was perfectly reasonable, and if you don't want to pay it you can still exit before you come to the actual toll booths. It's a toll road, it's optional and if you don't like it, don't travel on it. Simples. Plenty of trucks and heavy vehicles using it as well today.

Berty

VanV wrote: »

I used it today to go out to Shannon and it makes a world of difference time wise. Thought €1.80 was perfectly reasonable, and if you don't want to pay it you can still exit before you come to the actual toll booths. It's a toll road, it's optional and if you don't like it, don't travel on it. Simples. Plenty of trucks and heavy vehicles using it as well today.

If you exit before you come to it from the Southside of the Tunnel you end up on the Dock Road. If you exit before it Northbound you end up on the old D/C. If you go through the tunnel and exit for the Condell Road there is another Toll Plaza. You cannot use the tunnel without paying a Toll.

source

Berty wrote: »

If you exit before you come to it from the Southside of the Tunnel you end up on the Dock Road. If you exit before it Northbound you end up on the old D/C. If you go through the tunnel and exit for the Condell Road there is another Toll Plaza. You cannot use the tunnel without paying a Toll.

I think what VanV is saying is, that you can exit at the Dock road, and at the Radisson, thereby avoiding the toll, and reverting to the old route.

Red Silurian

I've used the tunnel twice now since it's opening, I live in caherdavin and drive to waterford about once a week to see family, I managed to get from my house to the ballysimon junction in 10 mins for €1.80 as opposed to the free way which gets me at least as far as town in 10 mins, traffic depending.

But I have heard some horror stories about the toll booths, like how the caherdavin turn off is hard to see on the north side and people being overcharged by the automatic coin machines

peckerhead

Am I right in thinking that for someone who very infrequently uses the other national toll roads but might occasionally use the Limerick Tunnel, the TollTag is the best deal (10% top-up charge on each use, i.e. 18c a pop, but no monthly fee)? I mightn't use any toll road at all for months at a time and it would piss me off to be paying a euro or two per month just to have the thing sitting in my glove compartment.

Comparison chart here.

komodosp

I've no interest in adding €3.60 to the price of a round trip to Ennis.

You mightn't spend that much on petrol anyway, but if it's a busy time, the difference in price is a bit less than €3.60 considering the amount of stopping and starting you'd have to do in town. (The dock road can get very busy at times, though admittedly probably less busy with this open.)

phog

peckerhead wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that for someone who very infrequently uses the other national toll roads but might occasionally use the Limerick Tunnel, the TollTag is the best deal (10% top-up charge on each use, i.e. 18c a pop, but no monthly fee)? I mightn't use any toll road at all for months at a time and it would piss me off to be paying a euro or two per month just to have the thing sitting in my glove compartment.

Comparison chart here.

If you're an infrequent user why bother with toll tags, I haven't done any research on it but it looks like that you have to cough up your money in advance then pay the company a handling fee, in TollTag's case that's €0.18, so now one use of the toll costs €1.98 instead of the €1.80 all for the privillage of using the Expess lane.

At least on the M50 you get a discount if you're using the tags and it eleminates the need to remember to pay the toll.

Liam Byrne

komodosp wrote: »

You mightn't spend that much on petrol anyway, but if it's a busy time, the difference in price is a bit less than €3.60 considering the amount of stopping and starting you'd have to do in town. (The dock road can get very busy at times, though admittedly probably less busy with this open.)

Possibly true at the badly-phrased "rush hour", but otherwise, I doubt it.

I'll do a quick check next weekend.

phog

phog wrote: »

My sister drives a 4 wheel drive jeep, GB Reg and she had to pay €3.20, her vehicle is not a commercial vehicle but the attendant would only raise the barrier after she coughed up €3.20.

She drove from Belfast to Limerick in last few days and her vehicle was classed as a private vehicle in all other toll plazas.

What's happening in Limerick?

The saga continues, she used the tunnel today and was only charged €1.80 for her trip on both directions, do this crowd really know what thet're doing?

peckerhead

phog wrote: »

...you have to cough up your money in advance then pay the company a handling fee, in TollTag's case that's €0.18, so now one use of the toll costs €1.98 instead of the €1.80.

True, except that with the standard Pay as You Toll tag they give you an extra €4.40 credit on top of your €30, so there's your top-up charges wiped out straight off.

Plus, that little smiley car on their website is soooo cute and friendly looking! I just want to give him all my money! :pac:

knipex

peckerhead wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that for someone who very infrequently uses the other national toll roads but might occasionally use the Limerick Tunnel, the TollTag is the best deal (10% top-up charge on each use, i.e. 18c a pop, but no monthly fee)? I mightn't use any toll road at all for months at a time and it would piss me off to be paying a euro or two per month just to have the thing sitting in my glove compartment.

Comparison chart here.

If you are a very infrequent user then yes. (you pass through less then 5 or 6 tolls a month)

The other advantages of a tag are.

No need for change.
Tag lane (no stopping, no queuing no waiting)
If you drive for business its one monthly itemised bill with VAT separate.

(Did I mention no need for change and the tag lane)

peckerhead

And the little cute blinky car.

Suddenly my life is more complete. I'll tell my grandchildren about this day.

phill106

Bit rich of them to have no change dispensed from the unmanned tolls. The thing is full of change, it has a coin return slot within easy reach. Why no change?
Within limits, wouldnt toss a 20 euro note in, but if i toss in 2 euro, i want my 20 cent back!

knipex

phill106 wrote: »

Bit rich of them to have no change dispensed from the unmanned tolls. The thing is full of change, it has a coin return slot within easy reach. Why no change?
Within limits, wouldnt toss a 20 euro note in, but if i toss in 2 euro, i want my 20 cent back!

Then go the the manned booth....

Jeez how hard is it to understand.

You want change or a receipt ? go to the manned booth.

You dont ? go to the automated booth...

thesimpsons

knipex wrote: »

Then go the the manned booth....

Jeez how hard is it to understand.

You want change or a receipt ? go to the manned booth.

You dont ? go to the automated booth...

but seeing as the technology is there and the change slot is there, why didn't they just use the technology and make faster for everyone concerned.

source

Thesimpsons issuing change at an unmanned toll booth does not make things faster. For putting money in there's a big basket to throw the money into. for getting change back there's a little slot.

Given the problem that most people seem to have, with not being able to get close to, say....ticket barriers in car parks and the likes, you'd have people stopping and getting out of their cars to get their change.

As knipex said, if you want change go to the manned booth, if you have exact money then use the automated lane. It just takes a little common sense to figure out.

I got the tag from easytag, mainly because it'll work for car parks too and will make life easier when it comes to parking in most cities in the country.