Paying vehicles equal toll-free tunnel users

The number of motorists paying to use Dublin Port Tunnel has equalled the number of vehicles that use it for free, the National Roads Authority (NRA) has said.

Following its opening last year, the tunnel was criticised because the toll price was designed to prohibit private cars from using it to commute to and from the city centre at peak times.

A spokesman said since the toll was reduced from €6 to €3 at weekends, the number of private cars had jumped by about 50,000 a month, a factor that saw the number of payers matching the number of those that are exempt.