Over the Christmas break Aontú leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín launched a fresh campaign against planned M50 toll increases, accusing the Government of “milking motorists dry” as charges are set to rise again from January 1st.
The TD said Aontú members took their protest to the bridges of the M50, hanging banners to highlight what he described as an unfair and unnecessary toll on Ireland’s busiest road.
Calling the M50 “the country’s main artery”, Deputy Tóibín said the road is virtually unavoidable for tens of thousands of workers. Around 160,000 drivers use it daily, he said, many of them already struggling with soaring living costs.
Since 2008, the Government has collected an estimated €2.2 billion in M50 toll revenue — a figure Deputy Tóibín described as “eye-watering”. He said the bridges on the route were originally built for £58 million and that the private company behind the project recouped its costs within just one year of tolling.
Deputy Toibin joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.