AA condemns Cullen's plan for M50 tolling

A plan to introduce a barrier-free tolling system on the M50 announced recently by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen, has been criticised by the AA.

Mr Cullen had announced that the West Link toll barrier on the M50 motorway would be removed within the next three years. Instead it would be replaced with a barrier-free electronic tolling system along the whole road, with charges based on the amount of the route used.
Under the plans, the State will buy out the right of National Toll Roads (NTR) to operate a toll plaza on the road. The compensation package will be worth about E500 million to the company between 2008 and 2020.

Conor Faughnan, of AA Roadwatch, said he was shocked with the plan.
"The notions that they are doing any favours by removing the West Link toll barrier and introducing tolls all over the M50 is absurd. It is a monumentally bad idea," he said.
He added that the traffic problems at the Red Cow roundabout would increase if the project went ahead. He said that cars would be coming into residential areas and that there would be "widespread traffic chaos".

On Friday, January27th, Mr Cullen had welcomed barrier-free tolling.
The National Roads Authority (NRA) stated that the money from the new tolls would be used towards the upgrade of the M50 and the payment of compensation to the NTR