M50 eFlow Toll

[balladmaker]

Apparently, and I got this as second hand information, just over 20,000 northern reg cars are presently being sought for not paying the eFlow toll on the M50.

Has anyone ever been contacted by them or a debt colletion agency?  Or is this scare mongering in an attempt to get northerners to pay up?

I am of course a fully paid up member.

[Hardy]

Cars can be impounded pending payment of arrears plus a penalty of €150 per outstanding toll unit. Since they already have the numberplate detection technology, they'll pick you up if you ever go through the toll again and you'll see a 4WD clamper crew in your rear view mirror. You pay the fee and the fine on the spot or the wagon will be along in a while and you're calling a taxi while your jalopy goes on its holidays until you cough up. Hardly worth the hassle to save €3.

[Bogball XV]

Cars can be impounded pending payment of arrears plus a penalty of €150 per outstanding toll unit. Since they already have the numberplate detection technology, they'll pick you up if you ever go through the toll again and you'll see a 4WD clamper crew in your rear view mirror. You pay the fee and the fine on the spot or the wagon will be along in a while and you're calling a taxi while your jalopy goes on its holidays until you cough up. Hardly worth the hassle to save €3.

If you make it though 50 times would that pay for itself then?  Or would they bill you 150 x 50 - probably better leaving the car with them at that point? 

How many of these 4wd clamper crews do they have?  You could be lucky and they might be engaged with some polish lad or somebody when you're going throug.

Do the 4WD clampers vehicles have the same powers as the cops?  Can they fly through red lights and stuff too?  Do they have a wee/big flashing light and siren?  If you fail to stop, would we have a car chase with the rte helicopter fliming from the sky?

[whiskeysteve]

I'd be interested to hear how they enforce fines on the nordies. Not saying they can't... but how would they get access to info linking car reg to an address, then how can they enforce debt collection in the north?

I know of fellas who have driven through this under the honest impression it didn't apply to nordies. And i'm not at all sure they bothered making it crystal clear (to nordies) that cars from the North had to pay up, at least not in the beginning.

As for them forcing thousands of residents of the North to pay up, how much will it cost them to do so?

I wish them the best of luck.

[DuffleKing]

Cars can be impounded pending payment of arrears plus a penalty of €150 per outstanding toll unit. Since they already have the numberplate detection technology, they'll pick you up if you ever go through the toll again and you'll see a 4WD clamper crew in your rear view mirror. You pay the fee and the fine on the spot or the wagon will be along in a while and you're calling a taxi while your jalopy goes on its holidays until you cough up. Hardly worth the hassle to save €3.

Why would you stop?

Never paid - been through hundreds of time and got one bill in the post for one outstanding journey.

They can't enforce it in the north - cousin works for them - but they do their best to scare you into paying. they probably started this clamping story...

[Hardy]

Cars can be impounded pending payment of arrears plus a penalty of €150 per outstanding toll unit. Since they already have the numberplate detection technology, they'll pick you up if you ever go through the toll again and you'll see a 4WD clamper crew in your rear view mirror. You pay the fee and the fine on the spot or the wagon will be along in a while and you're calling a taxi while your jalopy goes on its holidays until you cough up. Hardly worth the hassle to save €3.

If you make it though 50 times would that pay for itself then?  Or would they bill you 150 x 50 - probably better leaving the car with them at that point? 

How many of these 4wd clamper crews do they have?  You could be lucky and they might be engaged with some polish lad or somebody when you're going throug.

Do the 4WD clampers vehicles have the same powers as the cops?  Can they fly through red lights and stuff too?  Do they have a wee/big flashing light and siren?  If you fail to stop, would we have a car chase with the rte helicopter fliming from the sky?

This is my first ever attempt to create my very own urban myth. You might think it hasn't gone too well, being unfortunate enough to be picked up first by a preceptive observer like Bogball. I don't agree at all. I fully expect to be reading it on the internet for years to come, because the nature of urban myths is that completely disproving them has no effect at all on their propagation.

[Banana Man]

i think the call centre is based in the good old north in the quays in newry, ironic or what

[EC Unique]

Been through it countless times and never paid a bean. Not too worried about them

[amallon]

Been through it maybe 10 time and haven't paid.  Never heard a word about it.

[Bogball XV]

Cars can be impounded pending payment of arrears plus a penalty of €150 per outstanding toll unit. Since they already have the numberplate detection technology, they'll pick you up if you ever go through the toll again and you'll see a 4WD clamper crew in your rear view mirror. You pay the fee and the fine on the spot or the wagon will be along in a while and you're calling a taxi while your jalopy goes on its holidays until you cough up. Hardly worth the hassle to save €3.

If you make it though 50 times would that pay for itself then?  Or would they bill you 150 x 50 - probably better leaving the car with them at that point? 

How many of these 4wd clamper crews do they have?  You could be lucky and they might be engaged with some polish lad or somebody when you're going throug.

Do the 4WD clampers vehicles have the same powers as the cops?  Can they fly through red lights and stuff too?  Do they have a wee/big flashing light and siren?  If you fail to stop, would we have a car chase with the rte helicopter fliming from the sky?

This is my first ever attempt to create my very own urban myth. You might think it hasn't gone too well, being unfortunate enough to be picked up first by a preceptive observer like Bogball. I don't agree at all. I fully expect to be reading it on the internet for years to come, because the nature of urban myths is that completely disproving them has no effect at all on their propagation.

I was just wondering because I was pretty sure that one tailed me home last night, it had flashing lights but no siren in case you're interested.

[Canalman]

This would be the information credit agencies lap up. Best be safe and pay up or possibly have your credit rating up north messed up.

[armaghniac]

They can't enforce it in the north

Bollix. They just turn the whole thing over to debt collectors, with fines you could owe thousands. It is not worth doing this for someone there the odd time, but if you make a habit of it.....

[Maguire01]

I got a bill in the post when I went through it on the first weekend it was open and paid it online. Have been through it countless times since and heard nothing.

My wife drives through it on a regular basis and never pays but got a bill out of the blue a few weeks ago for 4 journeys, so they're obviously making some moves. The problem is that if you don't pay, there's the threat of further penalties and a €20 bill could end up a lot bigger.

[boojangles]

Forgot all about going through it a few weeks back. Got a bill a few days after for 6 Euro which I threw at my backside until Monday. Checked the bill and it said that if not paid within 2 weeks a fine of 39.50 was added. The 2 weeks deadline had gone up last Friday. I rang them up Monday evening with a bit of a sob story, blah blah blah, which they weren't interested in at all. All they wanted was their 6 euro. So I gave my laser card details and we were both happy. 45.50 might have been a different story!

[FL/MAYO]

I took a trip home in 2003 and had a rental car, I got caught speeding by a camera on the way into Dublin, two months later a speeding ticket arrived here in the U.S. I paid the fine as I didn't want any hassle from the rental car companies on future trips.