M50 increases “taxes on people who get up early”

The introduction of price hikes on the M50 has been described as ‘highway robbery’ by Aontú’s public representative for Castleknock.

Ellen Troy has rounded on the Government for the latest cost increases calling them “an insidious way of taking more money out of people’s pockets”.

“I am absolutely furious about this as it is impacting a whole swathe of people. Up to 160,000 hard-pressed commuters a day are being forced to pay for these punitive tolls, notably those who get up early to go to work and who are already paying through the nose for everything”.

“Car journeys are increasing by 20 cents per trip with heavy goods vehicles jumping by 30 to 50 cents. A fiver a day for car users is a very considerable charge for people who are already grappling with spiralling costs and it’s one they simply can’t avoid as they have to use the M50 to get to and from work.”

She noted that in her LEA of Castleknock, proximity to the M50 is sold as a selling point by estate agents.

“I use it myself to get to and back from work; If I had to leave Castleknock to go to Sandyford where I work without using the M50 it would take me hours. Using it takes me twenty minutes and this is what angers me the most on behalf of the people in my area; Government knows people have to use it, they are sitting ducks for these price increases.”

“Government can’t use the excuse of these increases as being ‘uncontrollable costs’,” she asserted.

“The M50 is a state-owned infrastructure and the commuting public has already paid for their use of it. Well paid for it at this stage. It is absolutely mind bending how Government is continuing to extract money from the commuting public for the ‘privilege’  of using it”.

She dubbed the commuting public “cash cows for this Government.”

“They jacked up excise on petrol and diesel just 7 months ago, they hiked up the tolls just 6 months ago and three months ago they increased the cost of carbon tax. They took in 2.3 billion in fuel tax in 2022.”

“These are impositions that Government is directly in charge of. We are living through a horrendous cost of living crisis and while Government is using weasel words of fake sympathy for people, it’s actions are directly in contravention of this.”

“We are going to fight this tooth and nail, enough is enough,” she said.