Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2016
566. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he is taking to reduce car dependency and usage and to incentivise greener modes of transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15526/16]
View answerMy Department supports a shift to more sustainable transport modes through investment in a number of programmes under the Smarter Travel Policy introduced in 2009 and also through our ongoing funding of Public Transport. The goal of the Smarter Travel policy is to reduce private car use by increasing the numbers who walk, cycle or use public transport. Funding under Smarter Travel has provided infrastructural improvements and supported behavioural change measures which enable and support a change to more sustainable transport modes. Details of these programmes can be viewed at www.smartertravel.ie.
Significant investment in public transport will be continued under the Capital Plan which provides €3.6bn in capital funding for public transport over the period 2016-2022.
Investment is paying dividends in terms of modal shift as is evidenced by the results of the recently published 2015 Canal Cordon Count in Dublin. Half of all people travelling into Dublin City Centre in the mornings are now arriving by public transport (bus, rail, Luas) – an increase from 45.9% in 2010. A further 9.4% walk into the city centre and 5.4% cycle. Fewer than a third – 32.6% - of people travelled into the city centre by car, down from 39.8% in 2010.
In addition to this investment in public transport infrastructure and services, my Department is currently developing a new National Policy Framework to support the uptake of alternative fuels through the development of infrastructure and incentives aimed at increasing the number of greener, alternative fuelled vehicles being used in Ireland. Within this context, and as reflected in the White Paper on Energy Policy which was published last year, it is proposed to establish a green bus fund to support the purchase of cleaner and greener public transport vehicles in the period to 2020.
