Toll charges on most toll roads nationwide are set to increase to their "maximum level" on New Year's Day.
Prices increases of close to 9%, in line with annual inflation, will take effect on eight toll roads operated under public-private partnerships as well as the M50 from 1 January.
The PPP roads are the M1, M7, M8, N6, N25 Waterford and N18 Limerick Tunnel , M3 and M4, and toll charges on those roads include VAT of 23%.
Tolls on the M50, which is operated directly by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), will also increase, lined to annual inflation of 8.6% as measured by the CSO's Consumer Price Index in August. The tolls cannot increase beyond this rate.
The Dublin Port Tunnel, also managed by TII, will be the only toll road in Ireland not affected. TII said the additional revenue wold be used for motorway maintenance, toll collection and operations as well as maintenance of the wider national road network.
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The state roads operator said all tolls on the national road network “are regulated through inflation [Consumer Price Index] and cannot go above inflation”.
“Due to the inflationary impact during 2022, toll rates across the national road network will increase in 2023."
Tolls for cars on the M50 will rise from €2.10 for tag users to €2.30 in the first price hike for a decade, and from €2.70 to €2.90 for drivers captured on video going through the barrier-free toll. Unregistered cars will be charged €3.50, up from €3.20.
Vans, lorries and buses will also be charged more, with the price for tagged goods vehicles of less than 2,000 kg and buses rising from €3 to €3.20 and €3.80 on video.
The price for unregistered goods vehicles below 2,000 kg will go up from €4.10 to €4.40, and heavier goods vehicles will also face a 9% increase.
TII said that a “user pay-funded motorway," maintenance and operation of the M50 is funded by tolls and that deferment of the increase "would have required funding to be reallocated from other national road projects and reduced funding for asset management and renewal activities."
On the M1, M7, M8, N6 and N25 at Waterford and N18 Limerick Tunner, tolls for cars will rise from €2 to €2.10. Buses and large goods vehicles will pay €3.80, up from €3.50.
The M3 toll for cars will go up 10 cent to €1.60, and from €2.30 to €2.40 for larger goods vehicles, while charges for larger lorries will rise from €3 to €3.20, and from €3.70 to €4.
Cars on the M4 will pay €3.20, up from €3, while buses and large good vehicles will pay €4.90, up from €4.50. Larger lorries will see tolls go up from €6 to €6.50 and from €7.30 to €7.90.
The eight public-private partnership companies running motorways have submitted their toll charge calculations as part of their annual toll plans, TII said.
TII confirmed the eight public-private partnership (PPP) companies running the other motorways “submitted their toll charge calculations as part of their annual toll plans”.
“TII have reviewed these submissions and concur with the maximum toll charges calculated,” TII added.
“All PPP companies have proposed setting their 2023 appropriate tolls at the 2023 maximum tolls."
"The CPI increased by 8.6% between August 2021 and August 2022 and this has resulted in increased tolls on all PPP schemes.”
Photo: Motorists driving on the M50. (Pic: Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie)
