No decision on peak-time free toll on M50

No decision has yet been made on whether to open the M50 toll bridge free of charge at peak times, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, had examined the legalities of taking action, said Mr Ahern but cost was a factor and there were a number of years left on the lease for the toll bridge.

He told Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins (Dublin West) "it is almost funny now" but at the time the M50 was proposed "the view was that nobody would build it".

Mr Ahern acknowledged that he was Minister for Finance at the time of the proposal and the local authorities "were happy at the time to get somebody to take on the risk". Mr Higgins had said the principle of public-private partnerships was to produce a massive profit for the private partner, in this case National Toll Roads, which leases the toll plaza. That was the whole point of the "frustration and suffering experienced by motorists for hours every morning and evening at the West Link toll bridge".

The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said the economic costs to business and industry, not to mention the aggravation to motorists, were intolerable. "The tailbacks are directly attributable to the barrier across what is now a distributor road and tailbacks stretch for miles."

Mr Denis Naughten (FG, Longford-Roscommon) asked if any alternatives to road tolling had been considered, such as operation freeflow and the use of rail lines lying idle in the north inner city of Dublin.