The Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, has said the Government is not trying to make ‘a pot of money’ on the backs of motorists who use the M50 in Dublin.
The minister, who today officially marked the start of the M50 upgrade, was defending his decision to introduce a new system of barrier-free tolling on the motorway in two years' time.
The first phase of the M50 upgrade involves widening the motorway between the Ballymount interchange and the N4 interchange. It is due to be completed in two years' time.
The Labour Party has criticised the decision by the National Roads Authority to toll the entire M50 motorway by 2008.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Labour's Spokesperson on Transport, Roisin Shortall, said it was a way of squeezing money out of motorists.
Ms Shortall said the Government is making the right decision by buying out the licence to operate the M50 by National Toll Roads, but introducing tolls with charges based on the amount of the route used by the motorist will not work.
Independent Senator Shane Ross has said it was frustrating for people who had campaigned for an end to the barrier toll system that it is going to take at least two years. He said he believed new tolls would be designed to catch many more people in the net.
