Since it was announced that the toll fares were to increase yet again from January 1, a number of groups have spoken out against it.

Pa Daly, Sinn Féin TD for Kerry and spokesperson on Climate, Energy, Environment and Transport, is one such person trying to prevent the tolls increasing, believing that the plan "should not proceed".

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, he highlighted how this will impact people in areas with little to no public transport, and that recent evidence suggests that tolls "don't reduce congestion".

He also highlighted how a number of toll areas have nearly doubled their amount of income, giving the M8 toll around Fermoy as an example.

That toll has seen an increase from €11.9 million to €18.9 million, which is an increase of nearly 60%.

He shared: "In an awful lot of the toll areas, the amount of income has actually almost doubled.

"And we previously brought a motion in 2022 and the toll price increases that were to be introduced then were suspended following that.

"The minister himself, he said that told in the run up to the last election, said that the toll prices should not proceed and he supported a ban on them increasing at that stage.

"So we've brought this proposal and that the toll prices that are due to come in, as everyone probably knows, there's eleven tolls in the country.

"Two of them are publicly owned; the Port Tunnel and the M50 and various price charges and increases across the whole of the network are due to come in in January.

"Not only do we say that these should not proceed, but we say that the evidence is that they don't reduce congestion. Profits are at record levels. There's congestion [that] is very bad and probably getting worse.

"And there is no real convincing argument, we say, to increase it at the moment. We're calling on the government to scrap this proposal because it tied in with the cost of living where people are suffering."

Part of the private members motion being put forward calls for a review of the PPP contracts across the public sector, and to review the tolling policy.

One texter shared that they spend more than €100 a month on tolls just to travel two junctions,

Another listener messaged asking: "Why don't we just pay per mileage tolling? We have the technology.

"It's wrong that people who travel just one junction on the M50 for two minutes are charged the same as someone who drives the entire length.

"We need to apply modern thinking to these issues not just the same ol' fleece everyone mentality."

One person shared that he runs a taxi and minibus company, and his toll fees are between €600 and €850 per month.

Another texter suggested applying the Sydney method of tolling which sees drivers not have to pay tax on their car if they spend more than a certain amount per year on the tolls.

Main image: File photo of the toll plaza at Fermoy, Co Cork