Next month’s toll increases are “simply unfair and wrong”, Sinn Féin has said. 

The M50 toll will increase by 30 cents on July 1st for those without an account and eight other routes will also be affected. 

In a statement, Transport Infrastructure Ireland said, "All tolls on the national road network are regulated through inflation (CPI) and [increases] cannot go above inflation.”

In order to mitigate the cost of living crisis, the toll increases were pushed back by six months and Sinn Féin said they should be deferred again. 

“We feel the time is still not right to be increasing tolls on hard pressed motorists,” Transport spokesperson Martin Kenny told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“We’re in the centre of a very difficult cost of living crisis for many families out there. 

“People have to get to work; in very many cases they don’t have public transport options, so they have to use their car. 

“Travel to work is expensive enough thing to be doing without having to put additional toll costs on top of people. 

“The tolls are already very high for many people.” 

Deputy Kenny described the tolls as a “win-win for the private side all the way” and said commuters are getting a poor deal.  

“The travelling public has been continually pressed harder and harder to pay more in order to travel on our roads and we just don’t think it’s fair,” he said. 

“And it certainly isn’t fair in the context of increased rents [and] increased mortgage costs. 

“Everything else is going up everywhere we look and now we see the tolls are going up as well. 

“It’s simply unfair and wrong for Government to allow this to happen at this point in time.” 

Inflation

The rate of inflation in Ireland peaked at 9.4% last year and in April it was 7.2%. 

Next year, it is forecast to gradually decline to 2.6% and Sinn Féin feels the toll increase is symptomatic of a larger problem. 

“Everything else has gone up,” Deputy Kenny said. 

“That’s the point… We’re talking about getting back to a situation where Government actually recognises the responsibility to represent the ordinary public out there who are finding it more and more difficult to live in the current climate. 

“We need to put measures in place to try and protect people as much as possible.” 

Last year, Minister Eamon Ryan said foregoing the increase would mean the Government would have to reduce spending in other areas - such as public transport and road maintenance.

Main image: M50 motorway Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com