Denis Naughten
Question:47. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Transport his plans to improve the standard of urban cycle lanes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34525/20]
View answerWednesday, 11 November 2020
Questions (47)
Written answers
As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government - Our Shared Future sets out an ambitious and wide-ranging set of commitments in relation to walking and cycling, supported by an increased multi-annual budgetary allocation amounting to some €1.8 billion for active travel over the lifetime of the Government.
The Deputy is right to highlight the need to ensure that these increased budgetary allocations result in the type of high-quality infrastructure capable of attracting people to make the switch to more active modes of transport.
The Deputy is likely aware of the National Cycle Manual which was first published by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in 2011 and is the principal source for guidance on the design of cycle facilities in Ireland. The NTA is about to commence a review of the National Cycle Manual and I expect a revsied and updated Manual to be available during the first half of 2021.
Once finalised, the NTA intends to complement the publication and dissemination of the new Manual with a series of training sessions for relevant stakeholders and it is my expectation that this work, together with other initiatives planned in the area of Regional Design Offices and local authority resourcing, will result in improved outcomes across the country.