Westlink

@stira wrote:

The NTR have taken everybody for a ride, now the Government is going to have to buy them out for E400 million! why not just build another bridge beside it and let us choose whether we want to pay a toll or not! dont know how much that little bridge would cost but alot less than buying those crooks out!

LOL do you realise what you just said???

If that was the case everyone would “obviously” use the no toll bridge, or who would you think would use the toll road if there was a free one. 😀

Indeed, dave123, I think that is what the American community would call a ‘no-brainer’.

In comparison to other EU states, however, perhaps Ireland is still quite ok . Someone mentioned on the other thread that we are being double-taxed. I give you the example of Austria: you pay your income taxes, you pay for your vignette to use the motorway (EUR 72 per annum) and then if you are really unlucky and have to use a tunnel every day, you very often have to pay for that luxury also (many cost EUR 9 per time – although you can get an annual toll ticket also). On top of all of that, you have additional tolls for trucks. Look at Switzerland – if you are passing through the country and only want to use the motorway network for a minute, then you still have to pay for a full year’s vignette. Mind you, in return you get a real full-scale motorway network with all of the trimmings. I’m not mad about paying tolls myself, but I reckon that if you want to have a motorway network, then you have to put your hands in the old pockets. It ain’t going to come for free.

@stira wrote:

why not just build another bridge beside it and let us choose whether we want to pay a toll or not! dont know how much that little bridge would cost but alot less than buying those crooks out!

because the contract between NTR and the state grants NTR the exclusive right to toll traffic between the N3 and N4 junctions in exchange for maintaining this section of road and paying the state a share of the takings.

Building a new bridge would breach this contract and leave the state open to being sued. There is no way out other than to stay with NTR for the next 15 years or buy them out of the contract.

The question is why this contract seems so generous and whether correct procedures were followed when it was awarded.

What did we learn from this episode or will we find ourselves buying out other toll operators for billions in the future?