West Link tolls to increase next year

Toll charges at Dublin's West Link are to rise for the third time in 27 months to fund the new West Link bridge, due to open this autumn.

The increases will bring the revenue generated at the bridges to about €120,000 a day or €43 million a year. The cost of the new bridge is €23 million, and it is on time and on budget.

The latest increase from €1.30 to about €1.50 per car will come into effect next January. It follows increases from 96p to £1 in September 2001, and from £1 (€1.27) to €1.30 on January 1st, 2002, all of which were described as funding the construction of the second bridge.

The three increases, collectively 28.07 cent, work out at €21,894.46 per day, or €7.99 million a year. The VAT increase which goes to the State has not been included in the calculations.

At €7.99 million per year the increases earmarked for funding the bridge would have its construction paid off in less than three years.

While motorcycles, vans, lorries and articulated trucks all pay different tolls, the average is currently €1.40, according to National Toll Roads, the builder and operator of the West Link. A spokesman said the annual average traffic on the bridge was about 78,000 vehicles a day. This gives a current average daily income of €109,200, but this would rise next year to at least €120,000.

National Toll Roads yesterday defended the increase and said the company was entitled to an increase in tolls in line with the consumer price index. A spokesman said the three increases, previously described as funding the bridge, would have included an element of the retail price increases.

The licence period in which the company may operate the bridge is to be just 17 years, as opposed to the normal 30, a move which is designed to ensure both West Link bridges are ceded to the State at the same time.

The spokesman pointed out that on the current West Link bridge alone the company paid the National Roads Authority €7.6 million in licence fees last year, as well as collecting €7.7 million in VAT and paying €3.02 million in rates. In all, the operation of the current bridge netted more than €18 million for the Government last year.

According to Mr Conor Faughnan of the AA, the division of the revenue from the bridge "is really a question of Peter and Paul as far as the motorist is concerned, as they have to pick up the tab regardless."

Mr Faughnan said he was not critical of NTR, which was keeping to agreements entered into by the State.

He said the margins were sufficient to allow the State to instruct NTR to raise the barriers at rush hour and let traffic through free, taking the cost out of the Government's share. Mr Faughnan said the figures demonstrated a strong argument to keep tolls to a minimum.

"If we need to fund an increase to pay for the construction of the new bridge, and I accept that, then why do the tolls never fall once the capital cost of the bridge is paid for?" he asked.