Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 October 2023
56. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he is satisfied with the manner in which transport planning and road and transport infrastructures respond to the needs of fast-growing population areas, particularly around our cities. [43049/23]
View answerAs alluded to by the Deputy, the population of Ireland is projected to grow significantly by 2040. My Department is involved in a number of initiatives aimed at ensuring that our transport planning and transport infrastructures can meet the needs of this growing population.
The National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland (NIFTI), published in December 2021, was developed by my Department to ensure our transport system can manage the demands that this growth brings and to plan today for how we will invest in the coming years and decades. NIFTI has been developed to ensure sectoral investment is also aligned with the National Planning Framework (NPF) and supports the delivery of the ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs).
The identification of specific transport projects and potential investments is guided by the National Transport Authority’s Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies. All five cities designated under the NPF - Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, and Galway - have recently developed, or are currently developing Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies which set out programmes of proposed transport investment in active travel, bus and rail for each metropolitan area over a twenty-year period. This evidence based, plan-led approach to transport planning is in line with international best practice and will allow our cities to grow in a sustainable and compact manner .
The NIFTI has placed active travel at the top of the transport investment hierarchy. This is reflected in the significant increase in funding for walking and cycling in recent years, equivalent to 20% of the 2020 transport capital budget or €360 million per year. The provision of 1,000km of walking and cycling infrastructure by 2025 is targeted in the National Sustainable Mobility Policy , with over half of that already provided by 2022. It is important that active travel infrastructure is provided in areas which will feel the greatest impact, such as built-up urban areas with fast growing populations. It is important that resources, such as schools, are connected to residential areas through walking and cycling infrastructure in order to provide the greatest number of people with the option of active travel as a transport mode. The Department is liaising across government such as the Department of Education and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in this regard.
The Climate Action Plan 2023 highlights the importance of embedding transport orientated development (TOD) at all stages of planning and development, particularly the siting of services and multi-use development at transport nodes. Transport orientated development is a key policy objective of the Government's Housing for All plan, and a working group was established in December 2021 under Action 26.1 of Housing for All to consider opportunities for TOD in major urban centres.
The working group is jointly chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and my Department, and includes representatives from the National Transport Authority and the Land Development Agency. The role of the working group is to consider opportunities for TOD in the five cities well as the wider eastern region. The working group will also review opportunities for better integration of land use and transport in regional centres.
In relation to regional and local road Infrastructure, the primary focus of investment is on the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network which plays a critical role in supporting economic and community links throughout the country and is used by buses, cyclists, commercial vehicles, HGVs as well as private cars. The NDP will enable a spend of €5.35 billion on the protection and renewal of regional and local roads over the 10-year period until 2030. This funding will help fund road pavement resealing and strengthening works across the network, bridge rehabilitation projects, climate adaptation and safety measures and drainage works. My Department will be investing over €675 million on new regional and local roads in the 10-year period to 2030 which can support the local economy, the Town Centre First policy, and improved accessibility.
Through these initiatives, I am confident that our transport network can meet the demands that population growth will bring whilst ensuring connectivity, accessibility, sustainability and safety.
