Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2022
335. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide the breakdown of the cross-Government spend on active travel in 2020 and 2021 and the budget allocations for 2022; if the spend in each year has met the programme for Government commitment of €360 million per annum on active travel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30759/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total expenditure by my Department on the delivery of Active Travel projects in 2020 was €108m, with €8.3m also spent on Greenways. In 2021 there was a significant increase in expenditure on Active Travel infrastructure, with a spend of approx. €185m. This is in addition to circa €27m spent on Greenways in 2021.
This represents a significant step-up in expenditure and reflects our ambition to progressively reach the overall target expenditure of €360m as set out in the Programme for Government. The National Transport Authority (NTA) is the main agency spearheading delivery of cycling and walking infrastructure, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Factors such as the impact of COVID restrictions on construction, planning issues and staffing constraints in local authorities have impacted the delivery of active travel infrastructure over 2020 and 2021. However, the larger budgets and projects are now bedding-in, new staff are being recruited by the local authorities specifically for active travel, and the situation is improving. We expect a much higher draw-down on available funds this year and increased delivery.
This year I have made €289m available to local authorities through the NTA to progress the delivery of approximately 1,200 Active Travel projects throughout the country. This will contribute to the development of almost 1,000km of new and improved walking and cycling infrastructure across Ireland by 2025.
The Deputy should also be aware that local authorities can also access funding sources through other Departments to support walking and cycling infrastructure development. The two most significant are the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), which falls under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), overseen by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The latter Department also supports leisure orientated walking and cycling through the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS).
