M50 tolling system misreads details of 10,000 cars a day

DUBLIN'S NEW barrier-free tolling system on the M50 failed to operate correctly, in the first week of the introduction of the new system, for about 20,000 vehicles a day.

The failure rate has dropped since then, but still stands at about 10,000 vehicles a day, or 10 per cent of all West-Link traffic.

According to the Department of Transport, the failure rate results from the system failing to read tags or misreading them, failures in reading number plates and human error in matching photos of number plates with registered tag holders.

Failures were also caused by "back office" systems. These included tags not being read by the new sensors on an overhead gantry about 500 metres north of the former toll plaza.

In the event of the failure of the system to scan an electronic tag, an automatic number plate recognition system was supposed to step in so staff could manually match a car registration to a tag holder. However, in some cases this also failed. The result was that payment demands and fine warnings were sent to large numbers of motorists who had tags.

Motorists whose cars were demonstrably not on the M50 complained that they had received bills for journeys they did not make.

It remains to be seen if any motorists who did have tags are being billed for journeys they did not make. Tag holders are being advised to check their statements.

There were failures too in securing adequate staff to operate eFlow's Newry-based call centre and motorists were unable to get through. There was a failure to have all tags go "live" on all of the State's toll motorways at the same time, resulting particularly in delays for Easy Pass customers at the M1 and M4 tolls.

A National Roads Authority spokesman said: "We are eliminating the errors all the time." He added that, when bedded in, the new electronic tolling system would be "the finest in the world".

Meanwhile, some motorists have been sent demands for payment of "second-round" €40 fines, in advance of the deadline for such a fine. These second-round fines, amounting to €40 in addition to the toll charges, should come into effect after 14 days.

However, some have received this higher fee before that timeframe. Merrion Fleet Management received the increased fine charge after just 12 days. The NRA spokesman said the error had occurred on "about 100" notices because they had been withheld in the system during a manual audit. The fine would be cancelled.