Madam, - Seán McKiernan (May 19th) hit the nail on the head re the M3 and the double tolling on the motorway from north of Kells. No one has published the forecast usage of the new toll roads radiating from the M50. All forecast usage seems to be set on the current usage of the existing roads and assuming a 100 per cent transfer of traffic to the toll roads.
However, it is not a foregone conclusion that every driver who uses routes such as the N4 and N3 will automatically transfer their allegiance on a daily basis to the new motorways.
In fact, many drivers may choose to use the old roads which will no doubt be relieved of some of their congestion and become a tolerable and less expensive alternative. Take the N4 for example. With the new motorway section from Kilcock to Kinnegad, someone using this route daily will be paying €1.75 each way as stated on the NRA website, and this figure may be higher by the time the road actually opens. Based on using the motorway for 48 weeks a year this will be an annual cost of €840 per annum - a sizeable increase in the annual cost of commuting from Westmeath, which many drivers may simply say is not worth it to save 10 or 15 minutes before you hit the daily traffic jam at Lucan on the N4.
You will not see any of these annual cost of tolling figures in any of the headlines from the NRA. There is already a sizeable amount of daily commuting traffic from the Drogheda area which uses the old N1 to avoid the tolls on the Drogheda bypass section of the M1, joining the M1 south of the toll booths.
Who can blame them when you consider the annual cost of adding tolls to their commute? Perhaps an organised boycott of toll roads wherever possible would wipe the smiles off the faces of the disciples of public-private partnerships. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN QUINN, Enniscrone, Co Sligo.