Timmy Dooley
Question:491. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason Dublin city did not participate in this year's European mobility week. [46360/14]
View answerTuesday, 2 December 2014
Questions (491)
Written answers
European Mobility Week is an annual campaign on sustainable urban mobility which runs from 16 to 22 September every year. The aim is to encourage local authorities across the EU to introduce and promote sustainable transport measures and to invite their citizens to try out alternatives to car use. It is a matter for individual local authorities to decide upon their participation in European Mobility Week and to allocate appropriate funding from their own budgets. On the broader issue of sustainable transport and travel, my Department understands that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) is currently funding and overseeing the roll-out of infrastructural projects to actively promote sustainable travel.
There are nine active travel town projects currently under development by local authorities with the aim of achieving an increase in modal shift from the car to cycling and walking. This programme of infrastructural works will enhance the cycling and walking environments and make them more attractive to use for the local communities.
DTTAS also funds the Green Schools Programme which is run by the National Transport Authority (NTA) with the aim of increasing the numbers of students walking and cycling to school. There is a similar programme also run by the NTA and funded by DTTAS to incentivise workplace and college campuses to modify their modes of transport away from using the car to public transport, cycling and walking. That Department also ran a very successful Bike Week in June with participation by local communities across the country being facilitated through the local authorities. The NTA also runs smarter travel projects in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area as well as in the regional cities.