TOLL FREE JOURNEY

One of the country�s busiest motorway toll plazas should be made free for the All-Ireland hurling final to prevent major traffic delays, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Cork Senator Tim Lombard said the private operator of the busy M7/M8 toll in Laois should intervene and show goodwill to ensure all Cork and Clare fans don�t miss the high-profile match because of traffic delays caused by the toll plaza.

��Last Sunday�s All-Ireland semi-final between Cork and Limerick was a classic in front of a full house in Croke Park. The only downside to a wonderful day was the traffic congestion and delays due to the tolls on the motorway.

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�It was chronic at the Laois toll plaza and thousands suffered major delays as a result of the bottleneck. Many turned off the motorway and travelled other routes to try and make the game on time,� Senator Lombard said.

�We can�t have a repeat of this in two weeks� time for Cork and Clare fans. Thousands upon thousands will be using the M7 motorway from Munster on Sunday, July 21st for the 3.30pm throw-in at GAA HQ.

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�If the toll can�t deal with the volume of traffic, the barriers should be opened to prevent significant delays.

�We need a proper plan put in place by the toll operators to prevent bigger delays.

�The toll could be made free, and all barriers lifted for traffic northbound from 10am until 2:30pm to allow fans to get to Croke Park, and then again from 5:30pm until 10.30pm to allow southbound fans a quicker journey back home.

�Given the All-Ireland hurling final is once again an all-Munster affair with supporters travelling from Cork and Clare, we can expect the same traffic congestion with in excess of 82,000 supporters travelling to Croke Park.

�MidLink need to guarantee Cork and Clare supporters they will not only get to the All-Ireland final on time, but also that they can expect to be back home at a reasonable time after the match, by opening the toll barriers�, concluded Senator Lombard.