'Feels like a slap in the face': Government urged to scrap planned toll hikes in Kildare and beyond
The call was made by a TD representing Kildare South
The government has been urged to scrap toll hikes proposed for County Kildare and other counties.
Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, made the call ahead of her party’s upcoming Dáil motion, which will be heard in full tomorrow (Tuesday, November 10, 2026).
The motion calls on the government to immediately rule out planned toll increases, due to concerns that working people and families are being hit with unfair cost increases.
It also calls on the government to:
- Conduct a review of current tolling policy and the impact it has on workers and families
- Examine options for relief schemes
- Review all Public Private Partnership (PPP) toll contracts, in an attempt to to ensure value for money
‘ENORMOUS PRESSURE’
Explaining the reasoning behind her support for the motion, Deputy Ní Raghallaigh said: “These planned toll increases must not go ahead.
“People are already under enormous pressure from the surging cost of petrol and diesel, and the government’s decision to add on yet another cost feels like a slap in the face.”
She elaborated: “For many workers, there is simply no alternative to using these roads; whether it is people travelling to work, dropping children to school, attending hospital appointments or running a small business, motorists are already paying through the nose.
“Increasing toll charges will only pile further pressure on household budgets.”
The Kildare Town-based politician further said: “What makes this particularly frustrating is that there is a clear precedent for stopping these increases; previous toll hikes have been suspended, and there is absolutely no reason why the government cannot do so again.”
‘SERIOUS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER’
She also asserted her view that the the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD (Fianna Fáil) ‘has serious questions to answer’.
“When he was seeking votes during the General Election campaign, he publicly argued that toll increases should not proceed,” Deputy Ní Raghallaigh pointed out. “Now that he is in government, he appears willing to stand over the exact opposite policy.
“People are entitled to ask what has changed; the Minister should honour the position he took before the election and intervene to prevent these increases from taking effect.”
“While he failed to do this last year, he now has another opportunity to show ordinary people just whose side he is on.”
She also alleged that the companies operating these tolls ‘are raking in significant profits’.
Moreover, the Deputy claimed that the proposed toll hikes show ‘just how out of touch the government has become’.
She concluded: “At a time when people need relief, Ministers are [instead] signing off on yet another increase in the cost of getting to work and getting home; the government must step in, scrap these planned toll increases and start focusing on reducing the cost of living, rather than adding to it.”
The full motion from Sinn Féin can be read here.
RESPONSE
When asked by the Leinster Leader about Deputy Ní Raghallaigh’s comments, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport had this to say: “There are ten toll roads on the National Road Network.
“Eight are operated under a PPP model and two are operated directly on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), namely the M50-eFlow barrier free toll, and the Dublin Tunnel.
“There is no formal consultative role for the Minister of Transport when it comes to tolls; it is a matter for TII.”
They continued: “With regard to the PPP road schemes, these are operated and maintained by companies under long-term concession contracts with TII.
“TII’s duty is to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads and the primary purpose of toll revenue is generally to fund the protection, renewal and improvement of the National Road Network.”
The spokesperson concluded: “Following the application of the relevant CPI inflation figure for August 2025 to August 2026, the toll rates chargeable on the eight PPP and two TII toll roads on the National Road Network will be adjusted from January 1, 2027, as detailed by TII.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.