Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AMBULANCE CHIEFS HAVE said they will not be issuing paramedics with electronic toll tags despite multiple incidents of ambulances driving through barriers and damage being done to the vehicles.
On Monday, The Journal reported how an ambulance with a seriously ill patient on board was forced to stop at a toll booth as it had not been supplied with an electronic toll tag.
That evening, a message was sent to paramedics across the nation. It read: “Can all staff please familiarise themselves with the safety alert issued today regarding operational procedures at toll plazas.”
Under local authorities’ by-laws, ambulances are exempt from paying tolls. However, details of the registration are often taken manually by staff while the booths are manned – an act that itself causes delays, if only by a few seconds.
In some instances during the night when there is no staff, paramedics have to push the help button and wait for an external staff member to let them through remotely. These staff are usually located in external buildings adjacent to the toll booths themselves.
While most of the busy tolling points on major routes are manned, there are some stations on sliproads that do not have staff members on duty during nighttime hours.
The three page document sent to staff on Monday evening outlined how toll booths should be used and highlighted some dangerous incidents regarding improper use of the plazas.
Incidents at toll booths
The memo is accompanied by the current rules surrounding using toll plazas. Various diagrams showing exactly how the plazas should be used are also featured.
That safety order describes how damage has been caused to ambulances who have driven through toll barriers.
“Ambulances have driven into restricted lanes at toll plazas on a number of occasions leading to vehicular damage and delay in attending calls.
“Ambulances are 2.85 metres tall and do not fit in a car lane or a height restricted lane at a toll plaza. At a toll plaza use the left most lane available – check for any height restrictors.
“If you are delayed at an automated toll bridge contact the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and ask them to contact the toll operator.”
Tags
The director of the National Ambulance Service, Robert Morton, said he would not be issuing tags any time in the near future. He said the same safety procedures, issued in February of this year, would remain.
“Section 6 (1) (2) of the Local Government (Toll Roads) Act, 1979 provides an exemption from the paying of tolls for ambulances. Consequently, the HSE, similar to other emergency services, does not hold an account with any toll operator and hence no toll tags are or will be issued to any NAS ambulance,” Morton’s memo to staff reads.
“Where a NAS ambulance needs to urgently move through any toll barrier, the operational procedure continues to be that the crew notify the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and request the barrier on the extreme left of the motorway be monitored by the Toll Operator’s Remote Monitoring Centre so that the barrier can be opened immediately as ambulance approaches,” the memo added.
The policy has been described as “ridiculous” by experienced paramedics who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity.
One said: “It’s literally there in black and white. Delays are happening. There are people damaging ambulances by driving through barriers. I have no idea why they can’t do some joined-up thinking and just issue each ambulance with an access tag and then not charge the NAS. There has to be a very easy tech fix for this. It honestly does not make any sense.”
Earlier this week, Ted Kenny, ambulance sector organiser with trade union Siptu, told The Journal that anything that speeds up response times is to to be welcomed.
He said: “These are minutes and seconds you are dealing with.
“Anything that can be done to help response times should be done in my opinion even if it’s getting toll tags sorted.
“It is something that makes sense to happen and you’d have to imagine there could be an easy workaround.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Scrap all tolls. The roads and bridges are paid for. Maintenance comes out of taxation after that. Spain did it in 2021. Replace it with a charge on limousines and private jets as well as a ten percent tax on corporate boxes at stadiums. While the rich are getting richer particularly at the very top everyone else in the supposed middle class are being squeezed with those at the bottom squashed. Public servants get a 6.5 percent increas over 2 years and the m50 goes up by 12 % overnight . The government needs to grow a pair. They created TII and they can undo it. The future looks as if the rich won’t have to face traffic on the roads or look for spaces in car parks while the rest won’t be able to access them
@Gert McNulty: emmm I drove through a toll road south of Alicante in Spain 3 weeks ago dude so your statement is incorrect
@Marko: yes but they are few and far between, I live in Spain
@Gert McNulty: all tolls and bridges are not paid for and we are still building roads and bridges. Not sure how many limos or private jets we have here. Public servants 6.5% increase is to bring them back in line from their previous pay freezes.
Our toll charges are considerably lower than the likes of France.
@Ian James Burgess: but that’s not what Gert said. He said all toll roads were scrapped in Spain which is incorrect
@Marko: I never said all roads in fairness . It was 500km mainly in the valencia region. It just requires an effort from the government
The barriers are aluminium ,drive through , send the toll opperators the bill for any damage, it’s their responsibility , no need for tags
@John O Reilly: Not the most practical solution. Whilst driving through may reduce delays for the call in hand, if the ambulance is damaged, it could be off the road and unavailable for subsequent calls.
The tag solution seems the most practical, but I have a feeling that whilst the law prohibits the toll operator from charging a toll, the operators could argue a service/admin charge applies, and this maybe why there is an issue with tags
@John O Reilly: or the ambulance control room could ring the toll plaza to give them the heads up that an ambulance is on the way.
@Paul Clancy: do you not think the control centres are busy enough without creating extra and constant monitoring of every ambulance in the country
@Blackie Connors: their job is to monitor every ambulance? It does seem fairly simple. They are in constant radio contact with they ambulance. Hey what’s you route. Cool I’ll notify the toll booth.. instant message to tool booth. It’s called team work
@Rmaybe: good lad have you ever actually seen one I know first that it does not work like that emergency vehicles get sent to a cast and that’s the last communication it’s far too busy to micro manage every vehicle
Will live in a Hitech age surely emergency vehicles such and ambulance Gardai and fire could be fitted with an override remote that would open the barrier automatically OMG it’s not rocket science. But then again it would public servants collaborating with the toll company to come up with this plan and that’s when it all goes wrong
@Michael Fleming: like say a tag????
No need, no nee, nee no, nee naw, nee naw
Privatising the roads was the cause of the problem. Just another asset sold off for private profit.
@Bramley Hawthorne: and paid for by private investment
On an emergency run, I always contact control 5 mins before the toll and it’s open when I get there. No problem.
have your say