Motorists warned of no resolution to eflow dispute

MOTORISTS are being warned that no agreement has been reached in the dispute over eflow tags at the Louth toll booth on the M1.

The lack of any agreement between Transport Infrastructure Ireland and roads operator CRG over electronic ‘eflow’ tags means that motorists will from 11a.m on Wednesday next, August 31st, no longer be able to use their existing tags at the toll between Dundalk and Dublin.

Despite the efforts of local politicians, the dispute is set to cause greater delays at toll booths.

Louth TD Fergus O’Dowd made ongoing calls for a resolution to be found, saying ‘I believe the ongoing dispute must be immediately resolved and I have called on Minister Shane Ross to appoint an independent and competent person to liaise with all parties to bring this unnecessary deadlock to an end.’

He said the key issue of concern was road safety, adding ‘ the simple fact is there are many people that will be unaware of this issue and will approach the toll, possibly in the fast lane and be met with an un-raised barrier.

This could cause serious accidents and consequently huge traffic disruption and I believe this safety issue must come first.’

Deputy O’Dowd added: ‘ This is an unacceptable situation and an agreement before the end of August must be reached.’ Louth TD Declan Breathnach has also been campaigning on the issue, saying the withdrawal of the eFlow service will have ‘major consequences on traffic flow through the toll plazas at Drogheda and Gormanston.’

Meanwhile, the General Manager of the Celtic Roads Group stated last week that the dispute over the eFlow tag service on the M1 motorway was not about CRG seeking more money.

Lorcan Wood said that the decision had been made by TII - which operates the eFLow system, as it is looking for more fees from the CRG. He claimed that TII has rejected all offers that have been made to date.