An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-09
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Alison Comyn (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I begin with a note of gratitude for my colleague, the Minister, Deputy James Browne and the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, who provided essential emergency funding in my hometown of Drogheda over the weekend. A freak incident caused a large section of our Christmas lights to collapse, bringing down masonry and seriously damaging a car. It was nothing short of a miracle that no one was seriously injured or worse. There has, however, been significant disruption at one of the busiest times of the year, but overnight, Louth County Council has worked to get the streets open again. I urge everyone to come into the town and shop locally when they can.
With that in mind, I raise once again the issue of the prohibitive toll on the M1 at Drogheda, a toll that uniquely penalises local people. We are the only citizens in Ireland who must pay to directly enter and leave our own town. There have been numerous attempts over the years to remove or reduce the toll, but I would like to offer a practical solution: that drivers entering Drogheda to shop or visit locally, and who exit within three hours to return home, should have their toll cancelled or significantly reduced. It is a simple measure that could be implemented with existing technology and it would provide a real boost to local businesses, particularly now when so many are struggling after recent events and a lot of closures in our main town centre. Encouraging local people to enter the town at the moment would be a great help. Therefore, I call on the Minister for Transport to come before this House to debate this issue urgently. This fee is taking a heavy toll, quite literally, on the local economy in Drogheda and it is time for a fair and creative solution.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-09