Motorists who do not pay tolls face fines

The Government is planning to introduce legislation which will provide for motorists who drive through toll bridges without paying to be fined by the courts.

The measure will form part of a Government initiative to maximise electronic toll collection as a means of easing traffic congestion on routes such as the M50 motorway.

Department of Transport secretary general Julie O'Neill told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee yesterday that greater use of the electronic toll collections system "Eazypass" would allow motorists to drive through barriers without having to queue to pay.

However, she said that at present toll operators can only pursue motorists who do not pay the cost of the toll.

Ms O'Neill said the department was considering legislation which would allow for fines to be levied on drivers who drove through the electronic gates without paying.

A spokesman for Minister for Transport Martin Cullen told The Irish Times last night that preparations for this legislation were at an advanced stage.

He said the Minister believed that electronic tolling, or "open-road tolling" as it is known, made "bundles of sense".

Mr Cullen had asked National Toll Roads to give its view within two months on the practicality of introducing such a system.

In her presentation to the committee, Ms O'Neill warned that "it would be wrong to think that the removal of the barriers at the toll bridge would solve all the problems on the M50".

She said there were difficulties also at the entrance and exit points.

Ms O'Neill said the department disagreed with assertions allegedly made by executives of Dublin Bus that local authorities should not provide new quality bus corridors, as the company had not received the additional buses promised to it under the National Development Plan.

She said under no circumstances should there be any rolling back of bus corridors.

Ms O'Neill said there were no proposals at present with the Department of Transport from Dublin Bus for additional buses.

She confirmed that no additional buses were provided last year, but said the company did not have the space for additional vehicles until the new Harristown garage was completed later this year.

She said the department would look at providing additional buses "in an integrated way". The issue of buses freed up by people switching to Luas would have to be considered.

Ms O'Neill told the committee that one in every five people using Luas had previously been bus passengers. She said up to 50,000 people were using Luas on weekdays.