ALMOST 400,000 journeys made by Northern Ireland motorists on Dublin's barrier-free M50 toll road in the last two years were not paid for, it has been revealed.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland which owns and operates the busiest road in Ireland has revealed that 392,000 'passages' have been issued with letters due to unpaid tolls since January 2015, but the government body has been unable to reveal how many fines were issued and subsequently paid, simply stating: "Overall we have an 85% payment rate".
The M50 is Ireland's only barrier-free toll road which means drivers are not required to stop at a toll plaza. Traffic passes beneath a camera gantry between Junction 6 (N3 Blanchardstown) and Junction 7 (N4 Lucan) which records vehicles’ registration numbers. Drivers must pay their M50 toll before 8pm the following day to avoid incurring a late-payment penalty of €3.
The longer a driver fails to pay the penalty the greater the penalties incurred.
"Transport infrastructure Ireland may prosecute under the criminal code, the driver or the person who keeps or has possession or charge of the Northern Ireland vehicle while it is in the 26 counties. These penalties can be a fine not exceeding €5000 and/or up to six months imprisonment," a spokesman said.
"(We) can also issue civil proceedings against the driver or keeper of the Northern Ireland vehicle. This involves a court application in Dublin to obtain a judgement. The judgement is then adopted in Northern Ireland and sent to the enforcement of judgements office for collection," the company added.
In 2014 a British debt collection company was employed to target the thousands of northern motorists who do not pay the M50 toll while travelling around Dublin.
Prior to 2010, the north's motorists were able to avoid the toll because authorities in the Republic could not access their vehicle details. Government officials then agreed a cross-border deal to allow the exchange of information between the jurisdictions.
Last week Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard said there were no powers to pursue drivers in the Republic who fail to pay road fines in the north.
