# Should tolls on our road be passed to multi generations?



## car (24 Jun 2004)

I had a discussion with a colleague on this.  Does anyone have economic evidence why we shouldnt pass the expense of building roads on to second and third generation if theyre going to be using them too?
My idea is if its going to take 10 years of tolls to pay off a section a road at 1.50 a toll then stretch that out for 30 years and make the toll 50 cent and let another generation take some of the hit.  
I know the figures are simplistic, and that theyre not taking interest into account, but my premise is that the daily toll that I/you pay is reduced by applying the longer term pay off.
For those of you not paying tolls regularly, I figure the argument is that with interest, we'll end up paying tolls for longer to cover the extra, but I pay 3e a day, 5 days a week for 50 weeks of the year, totalling at 750 euro per annum.  It would be a big dent to have this reduced.


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## Bah Humbug (25 Jun 2004)

*Roads....*

Look back in time and you will see that major European road building programs have been to support military activities

- Romans

- Nappyblownapart

- Hitler

Our little island escaped all of these and also all just about all the war and strife that went with them

Cant help thinking we wont be so lucky in the future

Oh Yes !

Future generations will indeed be paying for them



Bah !


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## Dowee (25 Jun 2004)

*Re: Roads....*

Are the tolled roads ever going to be free to use? For example what exactly is the scenario with the M50 bridge, will those toll stations be done away with some day?


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## car (25 Jun 2004)

*update on toll road*

I read that the proposed upgrade of the m50 to 3 lanes and the upgrade of the red cow roundabout to a spaghetti junction type system is supposed to push the toll bridge out to 2015.  The article didnt say when the tolls were to be finished without the M50 redevelopment.  
Im resigned to paying for it for life and no politician or economist can tell me different.  (not that they ever would).  Hence my original question/proposal about making the payment for the roads pass on to multi generations and reducing the toll, therefore easing the burden on regular users of the bridge.
I have to pay at least the following to stay on the road

Price of Car
VRT on car
road tax  (to stay on the road)
Tolls (A tax to drive on the road I paid tax for, good one that)
Petrol (to drive the car)
VAT on the petrol 
Licence (so I can drive the car to pay the tax)
Licence renewal
Insurance 
VAT on insurance
NCT
Maintenance
VAT on the maintenance
(Fluffy Dice/"I shot JR"/"My other cars a ferrari" stickers /Dog with nodding head) delete where appropriate and VAT on same.

Dont get me wrong,  I pretty much cant do without all the above so Im not complaining about them, All except the tolls that is....

Id get the bus, but Id have to bring a packed lunch to get from tallaght to finglas in the morning.


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## sluice44 (26 Jun 2004)

*Re: update on toll road*

Tallaght to Finglas and back again!!

Have you read the  thread?

Good luck
Sluice


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## Brendan Burgess (26 Jun 2004)

*Re: update on toll road*

Hi car

You shouldn't look at toll roads in isolation. Our generation has inherited the whole capital stock of the country - the roads, the housing stock, hospitals schools and other public buildings etc. I don't know if there is any guiding principle about how much each generation pays for what they have inherited.

Brendan


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## car (28 Jun 2004)

*happy job*

Sluice..
Im actually quite happy in the job, door to door in 20-25 mins in the morning and a bit longer in the evening.  I just dont like paying the toll.  I could avoid by taking other directions to get to the job but it would take twice as long, which would make me even unhappier.

Brendan,
I agree about looking at other areas of generation inheritance is probably the right thing to do but its human nature to concentrate on that which affects us most.  In my case, the car tolls (rereading that it looks like all I care about is the tolls, Im not that sad, I swear ... now wheres my star wars dolls gone).


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## Tommy (3 Jul 2004)

*Re: happy job*

I always thought the National Debt was the most obvious example of the tab for today's (and yesterday's) spending being left for the next generation to pay.


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## Janet (8 Jul 2004)

*roads*

But after ten years there'll be maintenance needed on the roads surely?  So the tolls they're collecting then will have to cover that cost.  No, wait.  Isn't that what we pay road tax for?


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