Toll charges likely for Eastern Bypass

Dublin's proposed Eastern Bypass will most likely use tolls to avoid being used as a convenient motorway into the centre of Dublin which might encourage the growth of private car commuting, according to the Dublin Transportation Office. The DTO has welcomed the announcement from the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, that the bypass was back on the transport agenda. The DTO is a successor to the Dublin Transportation Initiative which was precluded from considering the eastern bypass in its strategy to deal with increasing traffic levels in the city, by a former minister, Mr Michael Smith, in 1992.

The eastern bypass is geographically much closer to the centre of Dublin than the M50, which at 8 km distant serves to remove some traffic which would otherwise pass through the city.

The DTO acknowledged yesterday the bypass would come within 2-3 km of the city centre as it would have to align itself with the Dublin Port Tunnel. This would provide motorway access to the city centre from Whitehall on the north side and Booterstown on the south side.

A DTO spokesman said it was something that would have to be looked at. "Obviously we do not want people to see this as an encouragement to car commuting. It will be dealt with by tolls".

The spokesman said a likely solution would be a low cost or free access at the entrances to the tunnel at Whitehall and Booters town, but a high charge to exit the tunnel in the city centre. Drivers heading for Dublin city would be discouraged from using it, while non-Dublin bound traffic would be encouraged to bypass the city. The National Roads Authority has predicted that the road could carry up to 50,000 cars a day and has allocated up to four years to get the proposal through the planning process. The Chamber of Commerce has said the decision to proceed with the Eastern Bypass was of "regional as well as national significance". It would give travellers a viable alternative to crossing the city centre. Mr Ciaran Conlon, campaigns manager with the chamber, said the point of the bypass was to divert all "unnecessary" traffic from the city centre.