Motorists will receive an unwelcome present at the start of 2024 with road tolls set to rise again from January 1st. Most car tolls will go up by 20% and HGV costs will increase even further. 

The increases apply to tolls on ten routes nationwide, including the M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel. On the motorway network, the M1, M4, M7, M8, will go up by 20% for cars and the same increase will apply on the N6, N25, N18.  The M3 toll will rise by 10%. 

All increases will be unwelcome for drivers, but perhaps the most shocking is a €2 peak time increase for the Dublin Port Tunnel for cars. This means that it will now cost cars €12 to complete the 4.5km journey. Transport Infrastructure Ireland says this move is aimed at preserving "capacity for heavy goods vehicles accessing Dublin Port", however, tunnel users will know that capacity on the route is very rarely an issue. 

The new tolls are said to be based on annual inflation of 6.3%, so justification for the large hikes seems thin. 

Both private and commercial drivers have reacted with rage. For example Eugene Drennan,  President of the Road Haulage Association said,  "For safety we are asked to use motorways but it's too dear. €7 per truck and some trucks would pass through multiple tolls in a day. This will force hauliers to avoid the tolls as much as possible. It's just too expensive."

Transport Infrastructure Ireland have sought to justify the increases saying, “the Exchequer grant for 2024 is not expected to increase (i.e. it will remain at €254 million) while the tolling income is expected to increase to approximately €240 million, which in effect will mean that operations, renewal and improvement activities are therefore almost evenly funded by equal amounts of toll income and Exchequer funding.”