A group opposed to the Government’s plan to charge tolls for town bypasses has today called for a national debate on the issue.
The Fermoy Bypass Group today raised its concerns at the Government’s plan to repay the private sector for investments in the development of national primary routes through tolls on 11 town bypasses.
Under the National Development Plan (NDP), the Government called for £1 billion private investment.
In October the Minister for the Environment Mr Noel Dempsey told interested private investors they would "substantially recoup the up-front construction costs and on-going operation/road maintenance costs by the collection of tolls".
The Fermoy Bypass Group chairman Mr Donal O’Lochlainn said today the National Roads Authority (NRA) proposed tolling is "unique in Europe".
He expressed concern that introducing tolls on bypasses would encourage drivers to continue driving through small towns - making congestion problems worse -or to take older, more dangerous roads.
Mr O’Lochlainn welcomed the proposals for the new roads as they will be 5.6 times safer than existing routes.
But, he said it was "internationally accepted that hard tolls cause people to divert away from the tolls...it is therefore a mathematical certainty that hard tolling Ireland’s town bypasses will result in deaths and serious injury".
Mr O’Lochlainn also complained of the cost to the motorist. He estimated it would cost £18 for a truck to travel from Co Clare to Dublin return through three town bypasses.
Towns along the Clonee-Kells route, Kilcock-Kinnegad and Nenagh-Limerick are among those which would be affected by the new system.