Make Drogheda Toll Free campaign’s 18th annual New Year’s Day protest
It is ironic that Drogheda’s most famous landmark, the 13th century Laurence’s Gate, was built as a means of collecting tolls from people wishing to enter the town from the surrounding countryside.
It’s a tried and tested method of extracting money from the population and of course it continues to this day in the shape of the deeply unpopular M1 motorway toll which are to increase by ten cents for every category of vehicle except motorcycles.
For almost 18 years now, the Make Drogheda Toll Free campaign, spearheaded by former Councillor Ken O Heiligh, has lobbied at a local and national level to abolish the strangle hold that these secondary tolls have on our town.
Each year on New Year’s Day Mr. O Heiligh has taken the Make Drogheda Toll Free Campaign into the public domain by protesting at the junction 9 toll gate on the Donore Road.
“Each year, we ask for actionable changes” Mr. O Heiligh told Drogheda Life at yesterday’s protest.
This year they are suggesting, amongst other things, that instead of increasing the toll by ten cents as they have done, Transport Infrastructure Ireland should consider removing the toll for HGVs to help relieve the traffic chaos in Drogheda which he says will only get worse until the Northern Access Route is finally built.
He points to the “toll holiday” which took place for a month in 2013 which he said had a “massive impact” on traffic in the town with a huge reduction in HGV traffic using the motorway rather than going through the town.
Among the other “actionable changes” that the Campaign is seeking are – increasing signage to promote the option of return trips and the balancing of tolls to remove inaccuracies in recognising medium size vehicles”.
“Our aim is clear: To keep the objections of the Drogheda people fresh in the minds of the decision makers so that when the time inevitably comes to consider the future of these tolls, our demands are clear” O Heiligh said.
“The 30-year toll contract was signed on the 9th February 2004 and has 12 years remaining. We are now proposing that a plan is implemented to wind-down the secondary tolls at Junction 9, Donore Road.
“Having considered the task that would face Transport Infrastructure Ireland if no preparation takes place between now and the end of the toll contract, we anticipate that the people of Drogheda will support a phased removal of the secondary tolls on the Donore Road.
- Phase 1. immediate HGV toll holiday at Junction 9, Donore Road.
- Phase 2. Agree a time frame to allow toll free journeys for School buses, and goods vehicles
- Phase 3. Complete removal of the secondary tolling on Cars, Taxis, Campervans and light vehicles towing a Caravan.
“Support has been gladly received over the many years since the Make Drogheda Toll Free campaign was launched. Use the hashtag #MakeDroghedaTollFree to keep the conversation going on social media.”
For information on the toll increases for 2022 see the Transport Infrastructure Ireland Press Release.
