Port tunnel charges for cars and light commercials may be cut

Proposed charges of €6 and €12 per journey for cars and light commercial vehicles using Dublin's port tunnel may be reduced, the National Roads Authority (NRA) has said.

The NRA, which yesterday published a draft toll scheme for vehicles using the tunnel, said it would like to strike a balance between "sucking such traffic into the city centre at peak times" and having expensive, unused road space.

The proposed charges are €12 for cars and light commercial vehicles entering the tunnel southbound, between 6am and 10am, Monday to Friday.

Similarly, cars and light commercial vehicles travelling out of the city during the evening rush hours, between 4pm and 7pm, will also pay €12.

Cars travelling in the opposite direction to rush-hour traffic, that is out of the city in the mornings and into the city in the evenings, will pay just €6.

Travel in either direction outside the designated rush hours will be €6 for cars and light commercial vehicles.

Trucks and lorries weighing 3,500kg will travel free at all times, as will the following classes of vehicles:

Ambulances and fire service vehicles;

Vehicles used by gardaí or Defence Forces in performance of their duties;

Dublin City Council vehicles used in the performance of the functions of the council;

Vehicles used by the contractor appointed to operate the port tunnel;

Buses or coaches which are public service vehicles with seating for over 25 passengers;

Specially adapted vehicles driven by disabled people.

The NRA said the toll charges were not designed to make a profit or repay the capital cost of the tunnel, some €714 million.

It added that, while it was conscious of transport policy to keep cars out of the city centre, it was prepared to reduce the cost of tolls for cars if the road space was unused and being wasted.

"We have built into the tolling scheme the ability to reduce the charge without going back to law," said Michael Egan, NRA's corporate affairs director.

Meanwhile, Dublin Chamber of Commerce has suggested the €12 charge should be used to subsidise heavy goods vehicle (HGV) tolls on the West-Link bridge, inducing HGVs to use the port tunnel/M50 route and maximising the "port tunnel dividend".

According to chief executive Gina Quinn: "The port tunnel's big benefit for the city centre is the promised removal of 9,000 HGVs each day. As long as HGVs using the tunnel face a subsequent hefty toll on the West-Link, HGVs will use alternative city routes, reducing the port tunnel dividend for Dublin."