Much of my presentation consists of bullet points which back up our arguments. However, I would like to read my opening statement. We would like the committee to bear in mind that we strongly believe there is no need for charging trucks a toll. Tolls are becoming a trend and they constitute a large cost involving all industries, particularly small ones which are of interest to this committee. We also believe that there is by far enough revenue from private cars to pay for these new motorways without charging trucks and, by extension, people who will never use the road.
At present the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government gets a substantial amount of money from the West Link toll bridge. If this percentage of toll was not taken by the Department, trucks could use the bridge for free. This in turn would free up Dublin and ensure the new tunnel is used. As it stands, we will not be using the new port tunnel to its full extent because of the cost of the West Link toll bridge. Furthermore, we have been advised that under EU law we cannot be forced to use this route because it forces us to use a monopoly.
I have circulated an extra page which was not in our submission because in speaking about a percentage of the toll it is difficult to get the current figures. This page sets out details of the original agreement on local government tolled roads. It will be seen that once more than 45,000 vehicles are tolled, 50% of the charge must go back to the Department. I am not up to date with the current agreement because it changed with the opening of the extension of the bridge. However, when the relevant legislation was brought into force, the envisaged traffic flow on the bridge was 17,500 vehicles a day. There are now at least that or more an hour, therefore, the committee can see the scale of the revenue accruing to the Department.
I will move now to page 5 of my presentation because the three previous pages are only bullet points backing up our arguments on the cost of tolls. I would like the committee to take account of those costings to see how expensive tolls will be for us and for the country.
Our position is that no tolls should be imposed on trucks over 3.5 tonnes. When one thinks of tolls in Ireland, one generally relates them to the use of toll roads as used by private cars, whether in Ireland or abroad. For the most part, private motorists use a tolled road once in the morning, or now and again when on a longer journey that encompasses a tolled road. To date, many people have not had to use a tolled road but, by and large, the general perception is that in payment of a toll — in Ireland it costs approximately €1.50 — drivers can travel on modern motorways with faster traffic and on routes that are free of congestion.
However, for the haulage sector and the end consumer, it is different. We pay a far higher rate and we must use these roads frequently. It is because of the frequency and high cost that eventually these costs will be passed to consumers. In a few examples, I intend to outline the high costs and how serious to Ireland incorporated tolls will be. This is the existing and planned tolls for Ireland. When added to the road user charges for Europe, there is a colossal cost to our competitiveness. This, in turn, will cost jobs in Ireland.
Hauliers in the Dublin area who transport containers to and from the docks are up in arms at the high cost. They are experiencing having to pay both East Link and West Link bridge tolls both for picking up a laden box and dropping back an unladen box — a box is a container. The cost for an articulated vehicle is €4.80 on the East Link and €5.30 on the West Link. This gives a total of €10.10 for two trucks, which amounts to €20.20 per journey. A haulier serving the south city would expect to deliver four containers a day, costing €404 a week, for a five-day week, would cost €20,200 in double taxation per truck without leaving the city limits. It is reasonable to expect three containers a day to travel to Intel in Leixlip, costing €15,150 per annum. Considering the size of the plant and the volume of goods being used, one can imagine what the cost would be.
Some years ago, we undertook a survey of a medium size haulier in the Limerick area. It was a point in time exercise. This entailed 13 commercial vehicles, taking note of which ones would have travelled the proposed tolled Shannon crossing during peak times and avoiding the route at off-peak times. This was a detailed survey and the result over a five and a half day week, for 48 weeks, was €63,500 annually. Another example was a section of work for a medium size haulier, Limerick based. His Dell Computer-related work meant he took 2,101 loads to Dublin last year. Within the next five years, that journey will be subject to three tolls. At today's charge of €31.80 for a return journey it will cost the company €66,800 annually, which is more than the total net profit from the trucks last year.
I will broaden all these figures to cover the cost on our exports. Dell Computers in Limerick exported by road approximately 12,000 loads last year. Of these, approximately 75% went via Dublin and 25% went via Rosslare. Some 75% will be going through three tolls in a few years' time and 25% through two tolls.