Drivers overpaid motorway tolls by more than €290,000 last year

Ken Foxe

Drivers overpaid tolls on the country’s motorway network by more than €290,000 last year, according to Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

However, that was offset by €329,000 worth of unpaid tolls that were recorded on the national motorways and the Dublin Tunnel.

A further €5.38 million was written off as “bad debt” on the country’s busiest route, the M50 motorway that circles around Dublin.

The M50 motorway was by far the most profitable route on the network last year though, bringing in a massive €186.6 million in toll payments.

Of that, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said 66 per cent was collected from motorists with a tag, 17 per cent from video recording, and the remainder from cars that are not registered on the toll system.

TII said figures for both revenue and bad debt on the M50 remained provisional until accounts were finalised and that overpayments did not arise on the toll-booth free motorway.

The route with the next highest yield was the M1, which connects Dublin with Drogheda, Dundalk, and the border, and where revenue was €43.3 million.

There were overpaid tolls of €57,000 on that route but TII said every plaza on the national motorway network had at least one booth operating 24/7 where a person could receive change if they wished.

Revenue on the M4 which carries traffic between Dublin and the Midlands was just over €42 million, according to data released under FOI.

That included just a small sum in overpayments of €13,000.

Almost €25 million was collected on the M3 from Dublin to Meath with overpaid tolls comprising €43,000 of that figure.

Revenue on other routes included €12.9 million on the N6, €24.8 million on the M7, €20.1 million on the M8, and €12 million on the N25.

On the Limerick Tunnel and N18, toll payments took in €25.3 million while the Dublin Port Tunnel brought in revenue of €27.3 million.

TII also said they had made payments of €6.43 million to motorway operators because the government had suspended toll increases between January and June of last year due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The transport agency also said figures for the M50 and the Dublin Port Tunnel did not include VAT, which did, however, apply to the rest of the motorway network.

Asked about the M50 and its policy around unpaid tolls, a spokesman for TII said drivers had until 8pm the day after travel to pay what was owed.

After that, a first penalty notice letter would automatically issue, which includes the original toll charge plus a late payment fee of €3.50.

He said individuals with outstanding balances on the M50 could contact a ‘resolver’ team to assist them.

The spokesman added: “[The operators work on] resolving issues just like this every day so the sooner [somebody gets] in touch the sooner we can help.”