Drivers in Ireland shelled out over €478 million in road tolls last year.
New figures released to Newstalk under the Freedom of Information Act show that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) collected a record €212 million in M50 tolls last year.
It marks an 11.5% increase on the €190m collected in 2023 and is up almost one-third on the €160.7m collected in 2019 – the last full year before the pandemic.
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Meanwhile, motorists paid a record €32 million in tolls on the Dublin Tunnel – up 18.3% on the €27m they paid out 2023.
On The Pat Kenny Show, reporter Andrew Lowth said tolls vary across the country - but the Government is still very much “raking it in”.
“For a car, it could be anywhere between €1.70 it would cost you on the M3 in Meath,” he said.
“That could go up to €3.50 on the M4 around Kinnegad.
“That’s how much it is to go off peak through the Port Tunnel as well - and that’s just for cars.
“The most articulated of trucks and lorries would be looking at well over €7.”
Meanwhile, motorists paid a record €32 million in tolls on the Dublin Tunnel – up 18.3% on the €27m they paid out 2023.
Tolls collected on the country’s eight other tolled motorways amounted to €234.45 million when VAT is included.
The M1 saw the highest toll income outside of Dublin with drivers shelling out €50 million, with the M4 coming in second at €46.9 million.
The M7/M8 generated €28.3 million in income, while drivers on the N18 paid €29.3 million in tolls.
Workers on the M3 also took in €27.8 million, while those on the M8 Fermoy cashed €23.3 million.
The N6 generated €14.85 million in income, while the N25 took in €14 million.
Andrew went out to get the thoughts of motorists on tolls.
“When you look at the amount of revenue they take, it’s not right,” one man said.
“I know they needed the money to build the road and all that but something should be done about it.
“There’s a lack of transparency in this country; it’s all done cloak and dagger.”
The East Link Toll Bridge linking Ringsend to the North Wall in Dublin, Ireland. Picture by Alamy.comAnother woman from Galway said she had noticed that the three tolls she pays on her way to Dublin have increased recently.
“I don’t believe that the tolls are needed,” she said.
“I don’t believe that the funds are distributed equally.”
Another man said he only thought tolls should exist if the Government puts the money into maintaining the country’s “smaller roads”.
“You find when you’re driving around on the roads that smaller roads are not getting the attention they need,” he said.
CitizensInformation.ie notes that, "Many major new road developments are funded through public private partnerships. This means that the funding for the building and maintenance of the road comes from the Irish State and private businesses."
Main image: Employee collects toll payments on the M50. Picture by: Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie
