Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2017
773. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the capital projects, their estimated cost and estimated completion date that are earmarked for funding under the €100 million envelope provided for in the capital investment plan 2016-2021 for sustainable transport as per page 25 of same. [10241/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2017 the Department has allocated €2.5m to the Green Public Transport Fund to support the uptake of low carbon technologies within the public transport sector. The fund will support pilot demonstrations of emerging low emission technologies, particularly within the public transport bus fleet, and will also support measures to encourage the transition of the national taxi fleet towards alternative technologies.
A further €9m will be spent in 2017 on various Smarter Travel initiatives. Over recent years my Department has funded a number of behavioural change programmes under Smarter Travel including the Green Schools, Smarter Travel Workplaces, Smarter Travel Campuses programmes. Funding of these behavioural change programmes will continue in 2017 and this year the Department will also fund the recently launched Cycle Right national cycle training standard. My Department has also funded a number of infrastructural programmes under Smarter Travel including the National Cycle Network, Smarter Travel Towns and Active Travel areas programmes. These infrastructural programmes were multi-annual funding programmes that ran until the end 2016.
My Department will now undertake an evaluation of the Smarter Travel infrastructural programmes to establish what worked and what didn't work in the Smarter Travel Area, Active Travel Towns and National Cycle Network programmes. The knowledge gained from this review will determine the best way of using the remaining funding available for Smarter Travel under the remaining period of the Capital Plan. My Department is also developing a new Greenways Strategy to inform future investment in greenways.
The Programme for Government also commits to providing additional capital funding for various tourism products, including greenways. I will be seeking to deliver this additional funding in the context of the mid-term review of the Capital Plan and will decide on the type of projects to be progressed once the total funding allocation is known and when the reviews mentioned above have been completed.
