Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
1244. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress on implementation of the national cycle policy framework received from local authorities and other stakeholders in 2013 and 2015. [14163/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1245. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress which has been made in considering a ban on the movement of HGVs on routes to schools and other specific routes with mixed traffic between 08:30 to 09:30 hours and 15:00 to 17:00 hours, in pursuance of policy 2.4 of the national cycle policy framework. [14164/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1246. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress which has been made in carrying out a study on bicycles, ferries and ports in pursuance of policy 8.9 of the national cycle policy framework. [14165/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1247. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps which have been taken to encourage employers to provide cycling parking facilities at existing developments, in pursuance of policy 7.3 of the national cycle policy framework. [14166/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1248. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the support which has been provided for introduction of emergency hotlines in all local authorities to enable the public to report potholes and inadequate reinstatement of roads, broken glass on the road and so on, in pursuance of policy 5.5 of the national cycle policy framework. [14167/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1244 to 1248, inclusive, together.
While significant progress has been made under a number of objectives contained in the National Cycle Policy Framework (NCPF), including some of those referenced by the Deputy, my Department has not yet undertaken a formal review of the policy framework or its implementation. However, the NCPF has been integrated into the Development Plans of the majority of local authorities so ensuring that the objectives and policies to support and promote cycling are taken account of in current and future planning. In addition, the National Transport Authority (NTA) published the GDA Cycle Network Plan covering the seven local authority areas in the Greater Dublin Area in 2013.
In 2013 and 2015 my Department requested local authorities and other stakeholders for an update on progress on implementation. The Department now intends to undertake a full review of the framework and we will be pursuing this during 2017. In the meantime, I would point out that good progress is being made on some of the specific policies referenced by the Deputy. With regard to cycle parking facilities, funding is provided by my Department to the National Transport Authority (NTA) for a number of mobility management initiatives, one of which is work place travel planning. As part of this initiative employers are encouraged to provide cycle parking and other cycling friendly facilities within their premises. With regard to policy 5.5, I understand that a number of authorities now have an online facility in place on their websites whereby issues such as potholes and other road defects can be registered.
While a formal review of the framework is yet to be undertaken, I think the success of the Framework can be seen in the encouraging increase in the numbers of people cycling shown in the Dublin City Canal Cordon Count published recently by Dublin City Council and the NTA. This showed that over 12,000 people cycled into Dublin's centre in November last year in the morning peak, nearly the same number as used the Luas during the morning peak commuting times (not including the numbers using Dublin Bikes between the canals). I will be keen to see this progress maintained and improved upon as we embark on the review of the NCPF.
