The National Roads Authority's desire for multiple tolls on Dublin's M50 ring road should be strongly opposed, Government chief whip and Dublin South TD Tom Kitt has said.
"There is no way that anyone could contemplate the kind of proposal that was put forward by the NRA," said Mr Kitt, in remarks echoing the views of other Fianna Fáil deputies.
Yesterday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Transport Minister Martin Cullen both insisted that no decision has been made about the future of tolling on the capital's ring road, and downplayed any possibility that extra tolls would be introduced.
Some Fianna Fáil TDs in Dublin and surrounding counties are deeply unhappy at the controversy, believing that Minister Cullen failed to spot the political damage that could be caused by the suggestion that more tolls were possibly being considered.
However, the Taoiseach offered support to his Minister, making it clear that the Government would not be unduly swayed by the NRA's preferences.
"We will listen to its views, but the Government will make the decision. I cannot answer for what was stated last week or what people might have thought. I am stating the position of the Minister, my position and the position of the Government," he said.
A study on present and future M50 traffic flows - one of the planning preconditions laid down by An Bord Pleanála - will be completed between October and December. Green Party Dublin South TD Éamon Ryan accused the Taoiseach of being "dishonest" in his claims in the Dáil about M50 tolling.
The traffic flow study demanded by An Bord Pleanála stipulated that the NRA must produce a "demand management" plan for the road within three years along the entire M50. Senior sources within the NRA said that demand management could be achieved only through tolling the entire route.
The environmental impact statement for the project suggested that vehicle numbers on parts of the route would rise to 202,400 vehicles per day along some parts of the route by 2008, which is above the 178,000-vehicle capacity of the upgraded road.
