NRA braced for first real test of barrier-free motorway
Motorists are adjusting well to barrier free-tolling on the M50 but its major test will come during Monday morning's rush hour, it was warned today.
The much-anticipated eFlow system came into effect on the country's busiest road at midnight with motorists now using one of three new methods to pay.
After years of campaigning, the plaza beside the M50 Westlink bridge has been replaced with a camera-based electronic tagging system.
With rush-hour travel the length of the motorway almost hitting one hour, travel experts predict gridlock will be dramatically reduced with some commuting times possibly halved.
The scheme has faced criticism from some quarters but the National Roads Authority (NRA) said motorists have been coping well so far.
"It's going quite well as expected," an NRA spokesman said.
"The contractor is on site and is removing the outer perimeter of the toll barriers and everything seems to be going quite well.
"People seem to be adjusting. There's going to be adjustment on Monday morning, there's going to be alot more people on it, but it should be fine."
The NRA is warning there will be teething problems with the new system as motorists get used to it and construction work on taking apart the toll plaza and canopy gets under way.
"It's an active construction site," the spokesman added.
"You have a brand new electronic tolling system in place.
"You're going to have a major commute start on Monday so that will be a full test of the system."
But Independent Senator Shane Ross said barrier-free tolling would prove disastrous, branding the scheme a rip off.
"The removal of the barrier should have been cause for celebration," he said.
"Instead, we have higher tolls, an administrative mess, and pending chaos.
"Many users who bought tags don't even have them yet. We will have weeks of confusion on the M50, and drivers will be soon getting erroneous penalties."
Even though removing barriers will help to end the daily gridlock, experts are predicting the move will not bring an automatic free-flow.
Road widening works along the 24km route will run until 2010, causing delays for commuters.
The NRA warned drivers using the M50 from today they must register for a tag or video account or pay in shops or on the phone.
Drivers must pay the fee by 8pm the following day or face penalties.
The NRA has also warned drivers to expect a bumpy ride with problems including wrong number plate details being given, incorrect plate numbers being read by machines and tags mounted incorrectly.
Work on removing the toll plaza will take up to nine weeks before traffic lanes are finally laid out.
The removal will take place in three stages and a lower speed limit will be in operation at the toll plaza.
Traffic calming measures will be put in place for the first stage this week, while the second will see all booths and the overhead canopy removed from the outer three lanes in both directions, while a temporary road surface will be laid.
The final phase of the work is expected to be finished by late October.
The last survey of journey times through the toll barriers, conducted by location software company Mapflow, saw drivers heading southbound reach their destinations five minutes earlier than their counterparts travelling the opposite direction.
The group plans to measure the same journeys with barrier-free tolling to show how effective it will be in cutting commuter times.
NRA chairman Fred Barry, who officially opened the eFlow system today with Junior Transport Minister Noel Ahern, said its benefits would become evident in the coming weeks.
"The benefits will come on stage piece by piece," he said.
"We've already seen the benefits of the widening of the road south of here.
"Here we've got the traffic going through this morning. It's flowing freely but probably going through at about 50 or 60km per hour.
"It will be a few weeks time before it's through at the full 100km per hour."
