Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has criticised the nationwide toll hikes that have been confirmed for January as “incredibly unfair.”
Tolls on most of the country’s roads, including the M50 and the Port Tunnel will rise, for all vehicles, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) confirmed today (FRI).
Deputy Tóibín said: “The likes of the M50 has been paid for over and over and all these roads have taken in billions and billions in tolls.
“It’s a cash cow and these hikes are purely to gouge commuters.
“Some people are paying thousands a year in tolls, just to get to work – and spending their days stuck in traffic in the car park that is the M50 because they have no public transport alternative. It is incredibly unfair on people.
“There are 80,000 people driving from my county in Meath every day on the M50 and they would give their right arms to come off it. The Government is glacial on the delivery of a Navan rail line.
“Aontú has a campaign to Scrap Toll Increases which has received huge support across the country, because all these incremental hikes add up for the hard-working commuter.
“We get so many letters from voters who are paying out huge amounts on road tolls to get to and from work. Many are desperate and frustrated by the financial struggle that they feel they cannot afford to work anymore, due to rising costs left, right and centre, and no let up and no response from Government.
“TII say these hikes are needed due to inflation. Working families right across the country are the ones feeling the inflation impact the most.”