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Over the years, I have looked several times at getting Trains/Buses up to to Dublin on Match days and other events and visiting Family up there.marmurr1916 wrote: »You could always reduce your speed to stay within the speed limit of 120km/h
And if you're going on a long-distance journey, consider getting a train or a bus - usually works out cheaper than petrol, tolls, wear and tear etc.
Just because you have a car doesn't mean you have to drive it everywhere.
If I go on a long-distance journey, I usually take the bus. Takes a lot longer but I don't have to deal with the stress of driving, I can read a book and I don't have to pay for petrol.
If you go from Cork to Dublin, you can get a return fare from around €20. Similar fares are available on most routes to Dublin.
You can get a return fare from most larger towns and cities to Dublin from as low as €20 with IE if you book online.
The Public Transport is not convenience in either Time (Travel) or return times required or costs. I have done the Calculations in cost. There is no benefit using intercity public Transport versus my own car and that include parking and LUAS/DART on part of the car travel costs.
When I travel in other European Countries, I always for the most time used Public Transport while on holidays, they run more often and very cost effective in comparison to here. I only use hired cars for Holidays where public Transport is not great and for work if Time commitments cannot afford me to use public Transport depending on the locations for meetings, Training/Conference events. The vast majority of my foreign travel is public Transport.
I cannot depend on Limerick City buses for evening Travel (after rush hour - little traffic) into the city for nights out never mind any Match days in Thomond Park or the Gaelic Grounds. Only during working hours can you depend on the buses to arrive within 5 mins of the arrival Time they meant to arrive. Guess what I cannot use it as I am working at those times unless i am off work!!! It is a hit or miss any other time (evening or weekends).
There is a huge major difference between here in Ireland and other European Countries when it comes to Public Transport using the following criteria of Time, frequency and costs and including public transport in cities smaller than Limerick and large towns.
I have even used public Transport in Turkey between Villages and small towns which are far more reliable than here and they have no fixed timetables only word of mouth!!! They were far more pleasurable to travel in than city buses here.
It only recent years that price for the Train is coming down.
The problems with Trains on Match days (evening) Leave Dublin at 23:00 and arrive in Limerick at 1:20am, never mind the time it takes to go from the Train station to home, I am usually in bed an hour earlier than the train to arrive in Limerick, when I take the car as I can leave earlier, travel faster than the Train and be home in bed for less than €30 euro, Toll included.0 -
The problem i see with public transport vs car is simple and best explained by my own motto
If im travelling alone to Dublin/Airport or travelling within other countries, ill use buses/trains. Works out cheaper and generally handier if im not in a major hurry and am oganised
If i have even 1 passenger, its not worth our while getting bus
If im going to a different part of Ireland, its not worth our while getting bus
Even alone (in my case from Athlone), i can go to Liffey Valley and back for around 20 Euro driving. If i wanted to do the same by bus, id have to pay around 15 return to get into city then another bus out for 3-4 quid return. Sure is a tiny bit cheaper but whats the point with all the fannying around youd do waiting for buses0 -
At the end of the day it's all about what tolls give value for money. Let's take a trip from Dublin airport to Galway city as an example. Galway resident so wouldn't be a regular user and would just pay tolls on demand rather then tagging.
M50 Toll is reasonable as the alternative route could take up to 2 hours to negotiate.
M4 Enfield Toll is a bit steep for what is a very small saving of time. The old N4 stays pretty close to the motorway the whole time. And while some may argue the toll is just the price of a cup of coffee, at least you can pull over in Enfield or Kinnegad and get a cup of coffee rather then ploughing on.
M6 toll however is reasonable because the old N6 did go a fair bit south to take in Loughrea and Craughwell on it's route, the new route almost halves the time between Ballinasloe and Galway and is €1 cheaper then either the M4 or M50 tolls.
I do think it's a bit silly to toll a route that isn't even finished yet so the toll on the M7 sohould have been implied until the Castletown Nenagh stretch was completed. Am I right in thinking, aside from the M50 which is in fact a bridge toll, that the stretch of M7/M8 that is tolled is the shortest stretch of toll motorway in the country?0 -
I do think it's a bit silly to toll a route that isn't even finished yet so the toll on the M7 sohould have been implied until the Castletown Nenagh stretch was completed.
See, this is what tripped the man who wrote into the Independent up. The M7/M8 PPP scheme is complete. The M7/M8 PPP scheme is tolled. It doesn't matter a hoot to the M7/M8 PPP scheme operators whether or not Castletown to Limerick is finished or not: if you want to drive their section of motorway, you pay for it. The toll is only for that section, not for any other.
It was the same with the Fermoy Bypass when that opened in 2006 and no one suggested that its operators delay taking tolls until 2010 when the M8 was finished.Am I right in thinking, aside from the M50 which is in fact a bridge toll, that the stretch of M7/M8 that is tolled is the shortest stretch of toll motorway in the country?
The M8 Fermoy Bypass is shorter, as is the N25 Waterford City Bypass.
The combined length of the M7 and the M8 leg on the PPP scheme is 40km.0 -
marmurr1916 wrote: »If you go from Cork to Dublin, you can get a return fare from around €20. Similar fares are available on most routes to Dublin.
You can get a return fare from most larger towns and cities to Dublin from as low as €20 with IE if you book online.
At certain times only. Last time I looked to go from Dublin to Cork it was 71 euros. Ryanair charged 34.
The public transport costs also stack up if there is more than one person travelling.0 -
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Carawaystick wrote: »At certain times only.Last time I looked to go from Dublin to Cork it was 71 euros.
Obviously they're not going to charge such low fares at peak times. But if you can travel off peak, it's excellent value for money.Carawaystick wrote: »Ryanair charged 34.
Dirt cheap but I'd prefer to get the bus. All the hassle of getting to/from both airport, plus the security queues = pain in the butt!Carawaystick wrote: »The public transport costs also stack up if there is more than one person travelling.
True, but I get the impression that a lot of posters here spend a lot of time driving solo.
It would be great if the German system of small group tickets was introduced into Ireland.
You can buy a ticket, valid for a full day's travel within one of the lander (eg the Bavarian Bayern-Ticket), for up to 5 people to travel on.
It's valid on all forms of public transport - regional and local trains, trams, buses, underground - within Bavaria or whichever state you buy it in.
All day public transport for 5 people for €28 - what a bargain!0 -
I think the best system to implement would be M50 style barrier free toll gantries at 10 km intervals along the entire motorway network. (bear with me for a moment)
Charge motorists something like 20 cent for every toll they go through. This number isn't set in stone but it should be low.
The cost of installing such a system nationwide would be offset by the current costs of manning and maintaining these toll plazas. The system would be operated by a single operator who would be owned by the current operators along with the NRA.
It would have ownership and responsibility for the entire national motorway network. Perhaps it would be called Bothar Eireann. It would operate with a commercial remit so future motorway projects would be funded with the profits from tolls collected across the network.
This would be a fairer system in my opinion as someone travelling 100 km would pay 2 euro but someone travelling 10 km would only pay 20 cent.
Payment could be like your mobile, i.e, pay as you drive or a flat rate per year for heavy motorway users of something like 1000 euro (again figure is not set in stone) per year for unlimited usage of the motorway network. Could be beneficial to long distance hauliers to go flat rate and short distance commuters to go pay as you drive.
Think off all the lost revenue from all the motorists travelling from the M3/M50 roundabout to the airport or from Bray to the M4/M50 junction.0 -
Probably a decent-ish idea in principle but I would guess that the cost to actually put in these "unmanned" tolls and indeed the cost of maintaining them/providing support would be fairly high (I dont actually have any ideas of the costs but making a guess here)I think the best system to implement would be M50 style barrier free toll gantries at 10 km intervals along the entire motorway network. (bear with me for a moment)
Charge motorists something like 20 cent for every toll they go through. This number isn't set in stone but it should be low.
The cost of installing such a system nationwide would be offset by the current costs of manning and maintaining these toll plazas. The system would be operated by a single operator who would be owned by the current operators along with the NRA.
It would have ownership and responsibility for the entire national motorway network. Perhaps it would be called Bothar Eireann. It would operate with a commercial remit so future motorway projects would be funded with the profits from tolls collected across the network.
This would be a fairer system in my opinion as someone travelling 100 km would pay 2 euro but someone travelling 10 km would only pay 20 cent.
Payment could be like your mobile, i.e, pay as you drive or a flat rate per year for heavy motorway users of something like 1000 euro (again figure is not set in stone) per year for unlimited usage of the motorway network. Could be beneficial to long distance hauliers to go flat rate and short distance commuters to go pay as you drive.
Think off all the lost revenue from all the motorists travelling from the M3/M50 roundabout to the airport or from Bray to the M4/M50 junction.0 -
Probably a decent-ish idea in principle but I would guess that the cost to actually put in these "unmanned" tolls and indeed the cost of maintaining them/providing support would be fairly high (I dont actually have any ideas of the costs but making a guess here)
That's an interesting point. I wonder does anyone have information on the cost of maintaining these e tolls. I would have assumed that the cost of these would be less than having to man and look after toll plazas.0 -
Doesn't sound too unlike the system the Germans put in to toll their autobahn network for truck traffic. However even the normally efficient Germans managed to mess up that one and the project went way over budget and was plagued with numerous technical problems, so I can't see that being a goer here.I think the best system to implement would be M50 style barrier free toll gantries at 10 km intervals along the entire motorway network. (bear with me for a moment)
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The Efficient Germans will resolve the problem in Time and get maintenance costs down and when they do, we can copied it then, and cost will be less for us to maintain,Doesn't sound too unlike the system the Germans put in to toll their autobahn network for truck traffic. However even the normally efficient Germans managed to mess up that one and the project went way over budget and was plagued with numerous technical problems, so I can't see that being a goer here.0 -
A certain cohort really resents tolls in this country. If they choose not to use the tolled section, fine: just shut up about it [/rant]
I won't shut up about it, too much has been covered up by people NOT speaking out and then those that do are ignored ...
No Sir. Down with ALL tolls.
I pay road tax ~ I want my roads. Simple! I don't WANT to PAY a private company. A company that may in NAMA now anyway but the TOLL company is a different company altogether.
No Sir, Down with ALL tolls, it's just another form of corruption in this country.0 -
I won't shut up about it, too much has been covered up by people NOT speaking out and then those that do are ignored ...
Well, unless you are going to make valid points, you can roar and shout about tolls all you like, but no one has to take you seriously.No Sir. Down with ALL tolls.
No need to call me 'sir'.I pay road tax ~ I want my roads. Simple!
There is no such thing as road tax. There is motor tax, but that isn't road tax, and to conflate the two is just wrong. Now, would it make sense if motor tax was used specifically for roads? Probably.
Anyway, you've got roads galore for free now. You've got the Jack Lynch tunnel, you've got the M8 from Dunkettle to Watergrasshill and from North Fermoy all the way to Abbeyleix. Then you've got the M7 from Portlaoise all the way to the M50 toll-free. That's just the Dublin-Cork corridor.I don't WANT to PAY a private company.
Then don't and drive through Rathcormac, Fermoy, Durrow and Abbeyleix; drive through Dublin, Limerick and Waterford city centres; drive through them and waste your time and petrol.No Sir, Down with ALL tolls, it's just another form of corruption in this country.
How is it corruption? Be specific.0 -
I don't avoid tolls but I am a little resentful of the M4 toll. If I had to drive the M4 route on a regular basis I probably would dodge it on principle.
I'll be passing through the M6 toll twice daily starting in a couple of weeks. Don't mind paying it and won't be dodging it. Huge time saving and the route is s lot shorter + a lot more fuel effecient than the alternative route. It would probably cost as much to use the alternative route with increased fuel costs. The M6 is also a lot safer..
I just need to decide on which tag to get. I'm leaning towards an eFlow tag at the moment but I still have to review a couple of my options. The tag from the M4 toll operator is more expensive to buy/rent than any other tag as far as I can see :rolleyes:0 -
I don't avoid tolls but I am a little resentful of the M4 toll. If I had to drive the M4 route on a regular basis I probably would dodge it on principle.
I'll be passing through the M6 toll twice daily starting in a couple of weeks. Don't mind paying it and won't be dodging it. Huge time saving and the route is s lot shorter + a lot more fuel effecient than the alternative route. It would probably cost as much to use the alternative route with increased fuel costs. The M6 is also a lot safer..
Agree 100% the toll on the M6 is well worth paying, the enfield toll, not so much.I just need to decide on which tag to get. I'm leaning towards an eFlow tag at the moment but I still have to review a couple of my options. The tag from the M4 toll operator is more expensive to buy/rent than any other tag as far as I can see :rolleyes:
Try and get the tag that beeps when it is read, mine is easy pass and doesnt beep and for some odd reason it refuses to work now and again so im always nervous as I approach the barrier in the express lane that the barrier will not lift0 -
There is no such thing as road tax. There is motor tax, but that isn't road tax, and to conflate the two is just wrong. Now, would it make sense if motor tax was used specifically for roads? Probably.
I must respectively disagree there is no such thing as "ROAD TAX"
I can buy 10-20-30 Motor Vehicles. I am only obliged to pay Motor/Road Tax, the tax that when you pay you recieve a disc, when I use that vehicle on a Public Road.
I could be a quarry owner and have tipper trucks. JCB's ect working in the quarry, if they dont go on a public road, NO TAX CERT needed.
I could be a farmer with tractors/4x4's/JCB's working on the farm, if they dont go on a public road, NO TAX CERT needed.
I can buy a vintage car to restore, I dont pay any Road Tax until I decide
I want to drive that vehicle on a public road.
Does the OPW at Newgrange, with their minibus service to the actual sites of Newgrange and Knowth pay Road Tax? I honestly dont know, last time there, I did not look, but from memory they did not travel on public roads. However I stand to be corrected.
Again, I have no answers, but years ago in Fota, plenty of vehicles within the Park, if my memory serves me correctly, there were no tax discs, as they were used within private property.
So, in my opinion, the current regime does charge a road tax, not a motor tax.0 -
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bog master wrote: »I must respectively disagree there is no such thing as "ROAD TAX"
I can buy 10-20-30 Motor Vehicles. I am only obliged to pay Motor/Road Tax, the tax that when you pay you recieve a disc, when I use that vehicle on a Public Road.
I could be a quarry owner and have tipper trucks. JCB's ect working in the quarry, if they dont go on a public road, NO TAX CERT needed.
I could be a farmer with tractors/4x4's/JCB's working on the farm, if they dont go on a public road, NO TAX CERT needed.
I can buy a vintage car to restore, I dont pay any Road Tax until I decide
I want to drive that vehicle on a public road.
Does the OPW at Newgrange, with their minibus service to the actual sites of Newgrange and Knowth pay Road Tax? I honestly dont know, last time there, I did not look, but from memory they did not travel on public roads. However I stand to be corrected.
Again, I have no answers, but years ago in Fota, plenty of vehicles within the Park, if my memory serves me correctly, there were no tax discs, as they were used within private property.
So, in my opinion, the current regime does charge a road tax, not a motor tax.
True, but if i remember correctly a recent government panel recommended that this loophole be closed with all vehicles, regardless of whether they use a public road or not, would be obliged to have motor tax.
I wouldn't be surprised if such a move was brought in by lenny in the December budget, along with crippling hikes in excise duty on fuel.0 -
Try and get the tag that beeps when it is read, mine is easy pass and doesnt beep and for some odd reason it refuses to work now and again so im always nervous as I approach the barrier in the express lane that the barrier will not lift
Kapsch tags, as issued by most people including Easytrip who took over from Easypass beep - but only when told to by the toll plaza. They never beep at the M8 Fermoy for instance, even when working. This could be whats happening to you
The only other type of tag issued here now are the massive Melodhy bricks used by eFlow and possibly others. Dunno if it can beep. There may be legacy units too.0 -
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I've an eflow tag, it's big alright but I use it to fill in the gap between my sunvisors to bock some of the sun.
It is also postpaid, so you don't have 40 euros lodged with them like the old ntr system, I don't know how many of he other co's are postpaid.
Eflow were cheaper marginally as they didn't charge vat on the account, but that's gone now.
Their tags are the same size as the SANEF one I've for using in France, so the one holder fits both.
It beeps at most tolls, but not Watergrasshill as far as I remember.0
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