1.6m tolls a year go unpaid on busiest motorway

One in 25 motorists are still not paying the toll on the country’s busiest motorway.

The National Roads Authority has reported a 4% evasion rate on the barrier-free toll on the M50, which is crossed by an average of 110,000 vehicles a day.

It equates to around 1.6m unpaid tolls each year, depriving the State of about €4m in lost revenue. About half of all motorists who do not pay the toll are using foreign-registered vehicles. Vehicles registered in Northern Ireland account for one quarter of all tolls which go unpaid.