Westlink tollbridge Fúckers!!!!!

Seth Brundle

Doesnt National Toll Roads control the charges over the bridge not the NRA?

unkel

Nuttzz wrote:

The NRA were on the last word on today fm yesterday, the reason they gave for the increase is to pay for extending the motorway to 3 lanes

In fact 4 lanes if you include the weaving lane. A very small price to pay for such an improvement given the current state of affairs

Of course road tax should pay for this and we shouldn't have tolls at all, but road tax is not used for roads, unfortunately...

Come to think of it, myself and other road users who also pay €1343 per year in roadtax should get a lane of our own really

Ave

Victor wrote:

And then everyone would travel at peak time. :rolleyes:

Perhaps that's why it's called "peak time"?

Victor

Nuttzz wrote:

The NRA were on the last word on today fm yesterday, the reason they gave for the increase is to pay for extending the motorway to 3 lanes

I imagine NTR will be paying for the N3-N4 section.

kbannon wrote:

Doesnt National Toll Roads control the charges over the bridge not the NRA?

I think it's Fingal and South Dublin County Councils, with NRA input.

spockety wrote:

The public should intensly lobby their politicians to force our government into putting a compulsory purchase order on both of those bridges, and pay NTR a fair amount for the structures, then remove all the barriers and just have them as normal bridges.

It doesn't work that way. A compulsory purchase order pays for assets + costs + losses, not just assets.

unkel wrote:

Of course road tax should pay for this and we shouldn't have tolls at all, but road tax is not used for roads, unfortunately...

Road tax goes directly to the Local Authority Fund.

Boggle

In fact 4 lanes if you include the weaving lane. A very small price to pay for such an improvement given the current state of affairs

Has been a while since I've used this stretch regularly, but isn't the congestion mostly caused by the toll bridge and junctions such as the red cow?

Why not remove the tolls and speed up traffic?

Seth Brundle

Boggle wrote:

Why not remove the tolls and speed up traffic?

a private company runs the bridge. Why would they cut off a huge earner just to facilitate people?

Victor

Boggle wrote:

Why not remove the tolls and speed up traffic?

They are going to made the toll all electronic (via registration plates or otherwise).

silent

Victor wrote:

They are going to made the toll all electronic (via registration plates or otherwise).

good luck with that, maybe in 2010 :rolleyes:

Seth Brundle

possibly not - Hibernian have access to the driver database so why couldn't NTR?

Our man in Havana

Hibernian have access to the driver database

Since when? I didn't ever give them permission to access my data. Data protection act anyone?

the evil belly

they've had it since the ponits system came in. you have to provide them with your driveing licence number if you want to get the discount for being points free (17.5%) i think they can access it under the freedom of information act but i may be wrong (probably am and all)

ambro25

They'd have to have at least one manned booth. Otherwise, it would be interesting to see how the "reg' plate-only electronic system" copes with foreign cars...

Saruman

I heard on the news that some minister is against the increase.. only got the tail end of it and dont know who it was though.. anyone?

RainyDay

Saruman wrote:

I heard on the news that some minister is against the increase.. only got the tail end of it and dont know who it was though.. anyone?

I never cease to be amazed by Fianna Fail's ability to be both the Government running the country and the opposition objecting to the manner in which the country is run simultaenously.

novice

And thr greedy f***ers don't even mention the forthcoming price hike on their website www.eazypass.ie

loyatemu

if the Westlink increase is to pay for the M50 widening, then what is the increase on the Eastlink for?

the tolls go up by more than inflation every year & there doesn't seem to be any real reason other than profiteering. And because the govt and council get a cut of the profits they approve it every year.

As for the govt buying back the bridges - forget about it. By the time the bridges do revert to public ownership in 20 years or so there will likely be tolls on every entrance to the M50 in order to keep the thing moving.

silent

loyatemu wrote:

if the Westlink increase is to pay for the M50 widening, then what is the increase on the Eastlink for?

very good point.
I actually don't mind the increase - IF they would give commuters who NEED to use the M50 for their daily drive to work a possiblity of a flat rate - i.e. - monthly 40E and I can use the M50 daily with eazypass. What they do is a disgrace - it actually costs you more to use easypass - you pay the same amount + 1E montly fee - and you need to be in credit so they make money in interest via this (not much but still)
at the very least a 30-40% discount for eazypass should be made available.
Let the people using the m50 only occationally pay 2E each way, it's no big deal but if you need to use it daily - 1.8 * 2 *5 * 4 = 72E each month FFS. now tell me it's not a rip off

I'm glad I use it daily one way though only, paying 72E just for the priviledge of some ****ty small bridge is ridiculous

Seth Brundle

Read David McWilliam's Article in yesterdays Business Post
The great toll bridge rip-off !

Victor

loyatemu wrote:

then what is the increase on the Eastlink for?

There is a formula in the contract link to the Capital Goods Index.

Victor

Ooo, look political oppurtunism. :rolleyes:

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/4753156?view=Eircomnet

Minister puts brake on big M50 toll increase
From:The Irish Independent
Tuesday, 28th December, 2004

THE Government has moved to put the brakes on a proposed 20pc increase in road toll charges.

In an unprecedented intervention Traffic Minister Ivor Callely has asked National Toll Roads to review its plans to introduce a 20pc hike in toll charges at the Westlink Bridge on the M50.

The company is planning to increase the toll charge for a car from €1.50 to €1.80, according to the minister who is unhappy at the level of increase.

Now the minister has written to the National Roads Authority, which has responsibility for tolling on main roads, pointing out that there has been considerable "public unrest and disquiet" about the proposed increase.

Mr Callely believes that there could at least be a freeze on any increase on the pre-paid Eazypass smart card system, now used by one quarter of all motorists.

The minister said that the private tolling company had an agreement which allowed it to increase the toll charges in line with inflation and the company was perfectly entitled to do that.

"But I am concerned about a 20pc increase when inflation is running at 5pc," the minister told the Irish Independent yesterday.

"In an age of technology and with the growing use of Eazypass which does not require manpower I have asked the National Roads Authority to review the price increase," said Mr Callely.

"I am unhappy and concerned about the price increase of 20pc," he added.

National Toll Roads did not apply any increase for three years between 2002 and 2004.

It is understood that the board of the company will consider the matter on foot of the request from the minister.

Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent

mike65

Well at least he has said something in public. That puts it up to NTR to justify the hike with lots of detail.

Mike.

RainyDay

mike65 wrote:

Well at least he has said something in public.

Whereas in private, he presumably says something like 'Listen lads, I know you're going to go ahead with the increase - just let me put out a couple of press releases to make it look like I'm actually doing something and wait a couple of weeks before you implement the price hike.

mobpd

...you can contact the minister via his website to voice any concerns you have around the toll bridge hikes ....
http://www.ivorcallely.ie

parsi

the evil belly wrote:

they've had it since the ponits system came in. you have to provide them with your driveing licence number if you want to get the discount for being points free (17.5%) i think they can access it under the freedom of information act but i may be wrong (probably am and all)

I thought that the Department had refused to give them the access ? But if they do have access it is not under FOI - FOI can only be used to get information regarding yourself directly. You can get information indirectly about companies in situations like Tender competiions where an unsuccessful company wnats to see the file. However you cna't get info on individuals.

RainyDay

parsi wrote:

FOI can only be used to get information regarding yourself directly.

Not true. You're thinking about the access rights under the Data Protection Act, which refer to personal information. FOI can be used to access any appropriate data with a Govt or state body. It is commonly used by journalists and other political parties to get access to background information regarding Govt decisions.

Though I agree that it would not be FOI by which insurance companies would get access to penalty point information.

Heathen

Victor wrote:

I hear they do that every morning.

hehehe quality!!!!!

Tommy Vercetti

mike65 wrote:

Well at least he has said something in public. That puts it up to NTR to justify the hike with lots of detail.

Mike.

Well, actions speak louder than words, and not surprisingly, the price is now gone up to €1.80. Thanks for nothing Ivor.

lomb

if u reakon 1.80 is bad if u look at irishtruckers.com there is article that tolls will be 10euro by 2008 for cars.
there is something seriously wrong in this country.
they reakon the 8euro toll is to pay for widening of the road to 3 lanes. first what moron builds a main road with 2 lanes, if they did this back in 1990 then they would have locked in 1990 prices and it would have been significantly cheaper. they knew they needed 3 or 4 lanes then. on quiet freeways around houston and dallas roads are 4 lanes.
these f£$R%as are amateurs. in 2015 thel say they need 4 lanes. even today they are building roads that will be busy and where they have space and putting 1 lane where 2 can be done and 2 where 3 can be done.
the bastards really havent got a clue.

BrianD3

Yeah paid my 1.80 today. Bastards.

The whole M50/toll bridge situation is a shambles. Before the extra lanes are even built, the NRA are already saying that there won't be enough capacity. The solution they seem to be proposing is ramp control signals (aka TRAFFIC LIGHTS) on the sliproads at the new interchanges.

I say abandon the whole damn road and start again. Turn the old road into a drag strip or something

BrianD3

trotter_inc

The thoughts of giving those f*ckers €3.60 everyday is killing me!! :mad: