No toll break for Cork motorists making the trip with Tipp to Croke Park

Toll barriers will definitely not be thrown open for Cork and Tipperary fans heading to and from Dublin for Sunday’s All-Ireland final, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has confirmed, despite last-minute appeals.

The confirmation came despite repeated calls from Cork representatives that the toll barriers on the national routes be lifted on Sunday, when tens of thousands of extra cars are expected to take to the road.

There were complaints of long tailbacks at some toll booths ahead of the Cork and Dublin semi-final earlier this month, leading to suggestions that tolls be lifted on Sunday.

TII has said repeatedly that the toll on the M7 is operated by a private company, Direct Route, and the State has contractual agreements in place with them under existing public-private partnerships.

A TII spokesperson told The Echo that if tolls were lifted in full or in part on Sunday, that cost would end up being passed to the taxpayer, amounting to an effective State subvention to GAA fans.

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork South Central Séamus McGrath said he had asked transport minister Darragh O’Brien if waiving of tolls on the M7 and M8 on Sunday were not possible, if Mr O’Brien would then consider “a system of online self-declaration and barrier-free travel” on the day.

Under such a system, the barriers would be open and those travelling would self-declare online later that they had passed through and would then pay the usual toll.

Mr O’Brien reiterated the point that toll roads come under the remit of TII under the Roads Act 1993.

He said: 

“Moreover, the contracts for the privately-operated toll schemes are commercial agreements between TII and the public private partnership concessionaires concerned. This includes the M7/M8 schemes.”

Asked about Mr McGrath’s suggestion of an online system allowing self-declaration and barrier-free travel on Sunday, the TII spokesperson confirmed: “Barriers are not going to be lifted”.

The spokesperson added that all toll booths would be fully staffed, and, with tens of thousands of extra cars expected to be on the road on Sunday, motorists were being urged to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys.

This weekend’s match has the added pressure of both counties’ fans travelling on the same route from the south to Croke Park.

Those planning on using the M50 on Sunday are being advised to take pre and post-match traffic volumes into account.

“We’re letting the person who is not going to the All-Ireland final know that there will be heavy traffic on the M50, so we’re trying to get less traffic on the M50 at those times,” 

they said.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD for Cork South Central Jerry Buttimer, who is also minister of state at the Department of Transport, said he had been assured that every possible measure would be in place to ensure smooth traffic flows on the day.

He added that he was grateful to all at Iarnród Éireann for ensuring that seven extra trains were added on Sunday.

Last week, Bus Éireann announced that its commercial Expressway service would run one additional Cork to Dublin service from Parnell Pl to Dublin’s Busáras, departing from Cork at 8am and arriving in the capital at approximately 11am, with the return leg departing Dublin at 8pm and then arriving home in Cork at approximately 11pm.