Sir, - Cllr. Tom Kelleher letter (July 25th), hits the nail on the head over lengthening queues at the West Link toll bridge.
I am not aware of any research carried out by the NRA or any of the local authorities on the effect that the West Link toll has on traffic in their area. Gloucestershire County Council, on the other hand, found that the tolls on the Severn bridges have a very significant effect on HGV traffic congestion in the City of Gloucester and the Forest of Dean, 25 miles from the Severn Bridge tolls. It is very likely that similar congestion occurs on all crossings of the River Liffey as a result of the tolls on the West Link.
Other tolls of madness will be springing up all over the country in the years to come. Nowhere in Europe will you find a road/motorway that is free to travel on and when you approach a town you pay a toll to go around and then join a free road again on the far side of the town. Tolls in Europe operate in an opposite manner; when a tolled motorway doubles as a bypass there is no toll.
The bypasses for Fermoy, Dundalk, Limerick and Waterford will operate in this very manner. I can see the headlines now: "Minister opens first tolled bypass in Europe." God help us all. - Yours, etc.,
Donal O'Lochlainn, Fermoy, Co Cork.