# National Sustainable Mobility Policy Source: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/sustainable-mobility-policy.pdf ## Front Matter ### Front Matter *Pages 1–6* National Sustainable Mobility Policy National Sustainable Mobility Policy Prepared by the Department of Transport gov.ie/transport National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Table of Contents Table of contents ![Figure from page 4](assets/p004-t01.webp) *Figure from page 4* Introduction 25 Vision 25 Principles and Goals 25 Targets 26 Implementation, monitoring and review 26 Funding 27 National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Table of Contents | Chapter 4 - Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility | 28 | | --- | --- | | Introduction 29 | | | Safety 30 | | | Decarbonisation 33 | | | Expand availability of sustainable mobility 34 | | | Behavioural change and demand management 40 | | | Chapter 5 - Principle 2: People Focused Mobility | 42 | | Introduction 43 | | | Whole of journey approach 45 | | | Infrastructure design 48 | | | Research and citizen engagement 52 | | | Leadership Group 52 | | | Pathfinder Programme 52 | | | Stakeholder engagement 53 | | | National Transport Authority Advisory Council 53 | | | Research 55 | | | Chapter 6 - Principle 3: Betet r Integrated Mobility | 56 | | Introduction 57 | | | Integration of land use and transport planning 58 | | | Smart mobility 62 | | | List of Abbreviations | 65 | National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Foreword ## 1 ### 1 *Pages 9–10* Introduction National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction ### Introduction *Pages 10–19* Purpose of Policy This National Sustainable Mobility Policy sets outs a framework to 2030 for active travel and public transport to support Ireland’s overall requirement to achieve a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Transport is responsible for around 18% of our greenhouse gas emissions and it is vital that by 2030 we put in place the infrastructure, services and measures that enable and encourage more people to make the switch to more sustainable modes of travel. changes are forecast over this decade. Ireland has a growing population and an expanding workforce, and we need to cater for this growth in a sustainable manner. What is Sustainable Mobility? The Policy forms part of Ireland’s climate action agenda with a number of complementary actions in the Climate Action Plan 2021, including actions focused on decarbonising the public transport fleet and enhancements across active travel and public transport. This Policy is primarily focused on measures to promote and facilitate active travel and public transport for all and, in doing so, encourage less private car usage nationally and particularly to, from, and within our towns and cities. The Climate Action Plan 2021 sets out additional measures to promote other complementary transport mitigation measures such as the switch over to electric car usage and greater use of renewable fuels for transport. The cumulative impact of all these measures will provide for a greener, cleaner transport system in Ireland. Connecting people and places in a sustainable way by supporting: MSafe, accessible, comfortable and affordable journeys to and from home, work, education, shops and leisure. MTravel by cleaner and greener public transport. MA shift away from the private car to greater use of active travel and public transport. What is Active Travel? However, promoting safe, green and more sustainable mobility is not just critical to meeting our climate change commitments, it also provides an opportunity to reorientate communities across the country so that they become more people focused, liveable places. Improved walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure and services can improve citizens’ health and well-being, boost quality of life and enable economic growth. As such, the Policy also aligns closely with wider commitments in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Public Sector Duty2. Walking, wheeling, or cycling as a means of transport in order to get to a particular destination such as work, the shops or to visit family or friends. Active travel can be for complete journeys or parts of a journey. The Policy builds on and replaces existing active travel and public transport policy as set out in the 2009 policy documents - Smarter Travel: A Sustainable Transport Future and the National Cycle Policy Framework. A lot has changed since those policies were published and further Better integration of transport and housing development can also support the Government’s ambition in the area of housing delivery. 2 www.ihrec.ie/our-work/public-sector-duty/ National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction Transport-orientated development can unlock the potential of lands for large-scale housing delivery and maximise the value of our existing transport hubs. In addition, the construction of public transport infrastructure either in advance of, or parallel with, significant new housing development has been found to be an important driver of modal shift internationally which supports realisation of our climate change commitments. It is important to note that improved sustainable mobility is not solely an urban requirement. We need to improve active travel and public transport in rural areas as well, acknowledging the differing features between urban and rural areas and cognisant that tailored solutions are required to deliver the fundamental change required in the nature of transport in Ireland. ![Figure 1: Benefits of Sustainable Mobility](assets/p011-f01.webp) *Figure 1: Benefits of Sustainable Mobility* Social Environmental �Reduces levels of social isolation �Reduces greenhouse gas emissions �Supports connected and liveable communities �Improves air quality �Enables equitable access to services and amenities �Reduces noise pollution Sustainable Mobility Economic Health and Well-Being �Allows more efficient movement of people �Increases physical activity levels through active travel �Provides access to employment opportunities �Creates safer roads and streets �Reduces traffic congestion National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction Impact of COVID-19 pandemic The alignment of these remote working hubs with walking and cycling infrastructure has the potential to support the regeneration of towns and the Town Centre First approach. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on our travel patterns with lifestyles and working practices changing overnight. The introduction of severe travel restrictions and greater remote working in 2020 resulted in significant reductions in private cars on the road, particularly for commuting. Public transport numbers also declined sharply due to capacity restrictions and increased remote working. In parallel, the numbers of people walking and cycling increased as lower traffic on roads and restrictions on longer distance journeys encouraged more people to move around their local area in a different way. These changes in travel patterns are estimated to have resulted in a reduction of just 16%3 in transport emissions for 2020 compared to 2019 levels. This conveys some sense of the scale of the challenge we face in delivering a 51% reduction in transport emissions by 2030. It is important however that remote working practices support compact growth in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and does not lead to increased sprawl to areas which may be difficult to serve with effective sustainable mobility links. International research has found that remote working may not result in overall travel reductions, as it can increase non-commuting trips4, and may, in the long-term reduce the need to live close to work. The OECD has highlighted the importance of land use planning when considering remote working policy5. It considers that careful analysis of regulations for new developments can help avoid the expansion of low-density areas, which makes the development of dense and multi-modal transport networks difficult, and increase travel distances and car dependence. The long-term impacts of the pandemic on travel demand are unknown. However, it is likely that increased levels of remote working will remain, which will impact the traditional commuting patterns and possibly change the nature of future travel demand generally. The National Remote Work Strategy, Making Remote Work, aims to make remote working a permanent option for life after the pandemic and commits to make home and remote working the norm for 20% of public sector employees. Continued remote working practices may lead to a reduction in the daytime population of our cities and large towns as fewer workers commute to the main employment centres. Remote working could also impact on settlement patterns as it can facilitate workers across certain industries and sectors to avail of a greater range of locations to live. Making Remote Work commits to further invest in remote work hubs ensuring they are in locations that suit workers and are close to childcare care facilities. The growth in online retail and the continuation of some form of online teaching for schools and colleges may also impact on aspects of future travel demand. Of course, there are a range of other daily travel needs, beyond commuting, education and retail, which impact on travel demand and which need to be catered for. Continued investment is required in walking, cycling and public transport projects to support localised travel and/or provide connectivity to citizens wishing to undertake a wide range of daily activities. Climate change challenge Climate change is recognised as the world’s foremost challenge. In line with EU ambition, Ireland has committed to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. With around 18% of 3 www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/climate-change/air-emissions/Irelands-Provisional-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissionsreport-1990-2020_finalv2.pdf 4 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.07.021 5 www.oecd.org/environment/transport-strategies-for-net-zero-systems-by-design-0a20f779-en.htm National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction Irish greenhouse gas emissions attributable to transport6, the sector must play a key role in Ireland’s decarbonisation efforts. Road transport accounted for 94% of transport emissions in 2020 and is directly responsible for a range of air pollutants that negatively impact both human health and the environment. Transport can contribute to increased levels of noise, collisions and congestion which in turn can reduce quality of life, deter active travel, and cost society hundreds of millions of euro per year in unproductive time. Our policy approach to achieve a more sustainable transport sector is based on the Avoid-Shift-Improve principle and implementing measures to: MAvoid: Reduce the frequency and distance of trips. MShift: Move towards more environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as walking, cycling or using public transport. MImprove: Promoting efficient fuel and vehicle technologies. Private car use remains the dominant mode of transport, accounting for about 54% of road transport emissions in 2020. Emissions from the transport sector increased by 13% between 2012 and 2019 with emissions from road transport driving this growth. The transport sector tends to grow or reduce in line with economic growth. As the Irish economy has grown in recent years, transport use and emissions have increased as well, and we need to break the link between economic growth and increased car use. We need to step up this approach if we are to address our climate change challenge and meet our ambitious targets. The challenge is such that only fundamental change in the nature of transport can achieve our 51% target by 2030. Increasing active travel infrastructure provision, expanding public transport capacity and services - including transitioning to low and zero emission fleets, and implementing behavioural change and demand management measures are all required to help meet our challenging target. ![Figure 2: Climate statistics and targets](assets/p013-f01.webp) *Figure 2: Climate statistics and targets* Road Transport18% Transport94% Total GHG Total Transport 51% reduction Emissions Emissions by 2030 6 www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/climate-change/air-emissions/Irelands-Provisional-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissionsreport-1990-2020_finalv2.pdf National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction ![Figure 3: Avoid-Shift-Improve Principle](assets/p014-f01.webp) *Figure 3: Avoid-Shift-Improve Principle* ![Figure from page 14](assets/p014-f02.webp) *Figure from page 14* ![Figure from page 14](assets/p014-f03.webp) *Figure from page 14* Improve Avoid Shift Improve the energy efficiency Reduce or avoid Shift to more environmentally the need for of vehicle technology travel friendly modes Vehicle efficiency, clean fuels Public transport, Land-use planning active travel Population trends The population of Ireland is projected to reach 5.7 million by 2040 from an estimated 5 million in 2021, with a projected need for at least 550,000 more homes and an economy supporting around 660,000 additional jobs. The NPF sets out targets to manage this population growth in a more balanced way across our three regions – Eastern and Midland; Northern and Western; and Southern - and our five cities of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. What is transportorientated development? 7 Transport-orientated development is a form of urban development that seeks to maximise the provision of housing, employment, public services and leisure space in close proximity to frequent, highquality transport services. It is a form of development that is friendlier to public transport users, cyclists and pedestrians, and seeks to convert car trips to public and active transport trips. This in turn improves mobility and environmental conditions, and delivers more efficient and sustainable urban development. The NPF recognises that significant investment is required in both active travel and public transport if these targets are to be achieved. As well as supporting the future growth of Dublin, the NPF sets ambitious growth targets for the four cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford to ensure that they grow at twice the pace of Dublin. Improved sustainable mobility within the cities can act as a key growth enabler and support a better quality of life for all, as well as supporting the delivery of housing through a transportorientated development approach. 7 www.nesc.ie/work-programme/land-use-land-value-urban-development/transport-oriented-development/ National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction Outside of the five cities, the NPF targets 50% of sustainable growth in the regional centres (Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny, and Sligo), towns, villages and rural areas. Around 37%8 of Ireland’s population live in rural areas which play a key role in defining national identity, in supporting our economy, and our high-quality environment. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) defines a settlement of fewer than 1,500 people as rural. The NPF recognises the positive impact improved and connected sustainable mobility options can have on rural communities, particularly for older people living in more remote areas. even before the COVID-19 pandemic, commuting to work represented less than 25% of all trips. In the context of our climate challenge, it is clear therefore that we need to focus on how best to meet citizens' travel needs across the day and for a wide range of reasons. This changed emphasis may in turn require new ways of looking at how, when and where we provide public transport services. It is important to note that the NTS does not include all journeys of the whole student population as the survey only samples persons aged 18 years and over. However, it includes companion journeys which may involve journeys to collect or escort somebody to their place of education. As well as breaking the link between economic growth and car use, we need to break the link between increased transport emissions and travel demand from our growing population. To meet our climate change targets, we need our transport emissions to reduce at a rate that is higher than the increase in travel demand. ![Figure 4: Why we travel](assets/p015-f01.webp) *Figure 4: Why we travel* We also have an ageing and diverse population. Along with supporting the NPF growth targets, we must ensure that sustainable mobility options meet the needs of all sectors of our society and are accessible to everyone regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender, income and sexuality. Total Transport Emissions Transport trends There are a number of data sources which identify transport trends such as how, why and when people travel, as well as the distance and duration of trips, and geographic variations. These help inform transport policy and provide a baseline for monitoring modal shift and sustainable mobility use. n Work 24% n Entertainment/ leisure/sports 9% n Personal nEducation 3% n Shopping 21% business 5% n Companion/ n To eat or drink 4% The CSO’s National Travel Survey (NTS)9, which is carried out every three years, looks at all trips taken by people over the age of 18 and provides a rounded view of our travel needs rather than just focusing on commuting trips. It is noteworthy that the NTS demonstrates that, n Visit family/ escort journey20% nOther 4% friends 10% Figures are rounded to the nearest percent Source: CSO National Travel Survey 2019 8 www.cso.ie/en/census/census2016reports/ 9 www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nts/nationaltravelsurvey2019/ National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction Private car use remains the most frequent mode of travel accounting for 74% of all journeys compared to 14% of journeys by walking, 2% by cycling and 7% by bus and rail. There are geographic variations to these national figures with pronounced differences in active travel and bus and rail journeys in urban and rural areas. Unsurprisingly, in urban areas private car use is lower and walking, cycling, bus and rail journeys are higher than the national average. Given our dispersed settlement patterns, the use of private car in rural areas is higher than the national average while active travel, bus and rail journeys are significantly lower. longer journeys, active travel and public transport may not always be a viable option and the Climate Action Plan 2021 includes measures to promote the uptake of electric and low-emission vehicles where car journeys are necessary. To provide a more complete picture of transport trends, it is also useful to consider the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS)10 which has been carried out by the National Transport Authority (NTA) every five years. The NHTS provides data to support the NTA’s statutory responsibilities in strategic transport planning, to provide travel data for the update of their regional transport models, and for the development of additional transport modelling tools. The findings from the 2017 NHTS aligned with some of the key findings of the CSO’s 2019 National Travel Survey including that Irish people use the car for 7 in 10 of all trips they take. Geographic variations were also similar, with the private car accounting for 62% of trips in the regional cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, compared to over 80% of trips by private car in rural areas. In 2019, nearly 57% of journeys of less than two kilometres were by private car while walking or cycling accounted for only approximately 40% of journeys over the same distance. This highlights the challenge in changing travel behaviour and encouraging people to make journeys by active travel and public transport rather than by private car, particularly for shorter journeys. We recognise that for some remote rural areas and Modes of Travel 14% 19% 8% 2% 3% 1% ![Figure 5: How we travel](assets/p016-f01.webp) *Figure 5: How we travel* Walking Cycling 7% 12% 2% 1% 2% 1% 74% 62% 84% Bus and rail Taxi/hackney Private car 4% 2% 6% Lorry/motorcycle/other* n National nUrban n Rural Figures are rounded to the nearest percent *Lorry/motorcycle/other includes lorry, van, motorcycle and other modes of transport including electric personal mobility vehicles such as electric scooters, electric skateboards, Segways, hoverboards and electric unicycles. Source: CSO National Travel Survey 2019 10 www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/National_Household_Travel_Survey_2017_Report_-_December_2018. pdf National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction The surveys differed in relation to the number of walking and cycling trips with the NHTS showing walking and cycling trips at 18% and 3% respectively compared to 14% and 1.5% in the National Travel Survey. The 2017 NHTS also showed a much higher proportion of education trips (23%) compared to 3% in the National Travel Survey. This arises from the exclusion of under- 18s from the NTS and by the high proportion of companion trips (20%), many of which may involve accompanying a child to or from education. more sustainable modes. The policy’s overarching ambition was to reduce the total share of car commuting from 65% to 45% of all commuting trips. However, Census data shows that the share of car journeys for work surpassed 65% over the last decade. An evaluation of the status of the 49 actions in Smarter Travel, carried out as part of the development of this new Policy, categorised each action using a Red-Amber- Green status to signify its implementation status. Red indicated minimal or no substantive progress; Amber indicated some substantive progress; and Green indicated substantive progress or on-going implementation. The evaluation identified 13 actions/part actions as Green, 30 as Amber and 6 as Red. A new annual NHTS will be developed by the NTA, building on their experience gained through the current 5-year survey, to measure progress against this Policy’s targets. When Smarter Travel was published in 2009, Ireland was undergoing an economic and financial crisis. As a result, funding for relevant capital investment in sustainable mobility infrastructure was reduced by almost 60% between 2009 and 2013 which obviously impacted delivery in the earlier stages of the policy. Funding did increase in 2014; however, it was not until the 2018 National Development Plan that sustained yearon-year increases were restored. Lessons learnt An Environmental Performance Review11 of Ireland was carried out by the OECD in 2021 to assess our progress towards our environmental and sustainable development objectives and to make policy recommendations to improve our performance. The Department of Transport requested the OECD include a special chapter on sustainable mobility to provide an international perspective and assist with the review of sustainable mobility policy generally. The OECD review concluded that mobility patterns and trends in Ireland are a source of rising environmental pressures. It recommended better enforcement of planning regulations to ensure that all developments promote settlements with easy access to transport links and include a network of safe walking and cycling routes. The review also considered that better incentives are needed to manage travel demand. The OECD review concluded that a lack of an effective implementation structure led to the failure to achieve the modal shift envisioned in Smarter Travel. It also considered that actions required to meet the targets were not put in place and there was no-coordination with relevant government departments to implement the policy. The review highlighted the importance of adopting a clear implementation plan, with intermediate and final targets, budgets and responsibilities, as well as a need to ensure that all governmental bodies apply the policy consistently to achieve any agreed policy targets. The expertise of the OECD and the review's recommendations have played an important part in the development of this Policy in terms of differentiating between the high-level goals as set out in the policy framework and the more The OECD review assessed the implementation of Smarter Travel: A Sustainable Transport Future, which was published in 2009, and which set out national policy in relation to transport over the period 2009-2020. Smarter Travel included 49 actions and identified a number of key targets to increase modal shift from private car use to 11 www.oecd.org/ireland/oecd-environmental-performance-reviews-ireland-2021-9ef10b4f-en.htm National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Introduction intermediate focus established through the development of the action (implementation) plan for delivery by 2025. The temporal horizons of the Policy and its action plan are aligned with those of the National Development Plan to provide a solid financial basis to delivering upon commitments. Ownership and supporting functions have also been clearly assigned to relevant departments and bodies, and a Leadership Group will be established to ensure consistent application of the Policy and oversee delivery. in the future. Informed by these discussions, the Department of Transport developed a comprehensive set of background papers across a range of themes which were then published as part of the public consultation process launched in end 2019. A further stakeholder engagement event was held at that time along with engagement with the members of the three regional assemblies. Over 250 submissions across a broad range of themes were received as part of the public consultation process from people and organisations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. How the Policy was developed Sustainable mobility policy is closely linked to other policy areas including education, environment, health, investment, planning and social inclusion, and a collaborative approach has been taken in the development of the Policy. Following a review of the submissions received, a report of the public consultation was published on the Department of Transport’s website and further bilateral engagement occurred with other government departments, state bodies, advocacy groups, business groups, disability representatives and academics. This extensive stakeholder engagement has heavily influenced the development of the Policy framework and action plan. A roundtable forum was held in 2018 which allowed for an initial exchange of views between stakeholders on a variety of issues relevant to the sustainable mobility sector including potential challenges and competing priorities likely to arise ![Figure 6: Breakdown of public consultation submissions by theme](assets/p018-f01.webp) *Figure 6: Breakdown of public consultation submissions by theme* n Accessibility 12% nActive Travel 27% nAlternative Fuels 7% n Climate Change 9% Submissions n Congestion 8% By Theme n Land use and transport planning11% n Regulation 11% n Rural Transport 15% nStatistics 1% CHAPTER ## Foreword ### Foreword *Pages 6–7* The National Sustainable Mobility Policy provides an opportunity to change our daily travel choices by making it easier for people to travel by more sustainable modes – be that walking, cycling or public transport. The Policy aims to support this modal shift between now and 2030, through infrastructure and service improvements, as well as demand management and behavioural change measures. This is with a view to encouraging healthier mobility choices, relieving traffic congestion, improving urban environments and helping to tackle the climate crisis. in rural areas and that a ‘one-size fits all’ approach won’t work. Increased funding under the National Development Plan will allow us to improve and expand walking, cycling and public transport options across the country to enable access to education, health care, work, cultural and public life by sustainable modes of travel. This will include commencing delivery of BusConnects programmes in our five cities, DART+ and Metrolink in Dublin along with increased investment in the inter-urban and regional rail network. This will be complemented by expanded public transport services, including in regional and rural areas under the Connecting Ireland programme. We have made a commitment to a 51% reduction in our carbon emissions by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050. To garner permanent reductions in our emissions we must make changes in our everyday life to sustainable behaviours. This Policy has been developed to help us make those changes and, alongside the Climate Action Plan, will put in place measures to enable and encourage greater use of sustainable mobility and reduce private car journeys. This Policy also supports better integration of land use and transport planning through a transportorientated housing development approach. We can no longer afford to build communities that are predicated on car ownership. Better integrated planning will allow for a more effective public transport system, empowering people to move away from car dependency. A collaborative approach has been taken by the Department in developing the Policy through public consultation and extensive stakeholder and cross-government engagement. It is aligned with international best practice and supports the strategic outcomes of the National Planning Framework particularly in relation to decarbonisation, compact growth and better balanced regional development. Improving sustainable mobility options is not enough. There is also a need to implement demand management and behavioural change measures to manage daily travel demand more efficiently and reduce journeys taken by private car. The establishment of a Leadership Group, chaired by the Department of Transport and overseen by the Cabinet Committee on the Environment and Climate Change, will ensure that there is a strong implementation structure to drive delivery of the Policy and accompanying action plan. We will review and update the action plan in 2025 to ensure that we continue to focus on the right measures to make walking, cycling and public transport the preferred option for as many people as possible. Our three principles of safe and green mobility; people focused mobility; and better integrated mobility will guide the delivery of sustainable mobility policy over the coming decade. We need to support a switch away from private car journeys and bring life back to our city and town centres. In urban areas in particular, the focus will be on the sustainable movement of people rather than the movement of the private car. We also recognise the need to improve sustainable mobility options Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Transport Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Summary ## Summary ### Summary *Pages 7–9* Purpose of Policy MTo set out a strategic framework to 2030 for active travel and public transport to support Ireland’s overall requirement to achieve a 51% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of this decade. Targets MTo deliver at least 500,000 additional daily active travel and public transport journeys and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil fuelled cars by 2030 in line with metrics for transport set out in the Climate Action Plan 20211. We will support Safe and Green Mobility by MContinuing to protect and maintain the MImproving rail infrastructure in safety of existing walking, cycling and public transport networks and ensuring that new sustainable mobility infrastructure meets the highest safety standards. the five cities. MImproving journey times and reliability on the inter-urban and regional rail network. MExpanding electrification of the rail network MContinuing measures to address safety in the Greater Dublin Area under the DART+ programme. issues when travelling on public transport. MCommencing construction of MetroLink in MDeveloping pedestrian enhancement Dublin. plans and cycle network plans to guide investment in new active travel infrastructure and retrofitting of existing infrastructure. MContinuing the design and development of other light rail projects in the Greater Dublin Area and Cork, and considering the feasibility of light rail in Galway. MExpanding walking and cycling options MRebalancing transport movement in across the country, including greenways. metropolitan areas and other urban centres away from the private car and towards active travel and public transport. MRolling out the Safe Routes to School Programme. MIdentifying a pathway for the MTransitioning the public transport fleets to implementation of suitable demand management measures at national and local level to reduce reliance on the private car. low and zero emission vehicles. MExpanding bus capacity and services through the BusConnects Programmes in the five cities of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford; improved town bus services; and the Connecting Ireland programme in rural areas. MExpanding behavioural change measures including the Smarter Travel Workplaces and Campus Programmes and Cycle Right training programme. MDeveloping an enhanced bus stop programme for regional and rural services. 1 These metrics were set for sustainable mobility and demand management measures in the Climate Action Plan 2021 and may be subject to revision in further iterations of the plan once sectoral emissions ceilings have been settled. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Summary We will support People Focused Mobility by We will support Better Integrated Mobility by MContinuing to make existing and new MAdopting a transport-orientated housing walking, cycling and public transport networks more accessible for all users. development approach. MIdentifying housing delivery areas within MImplementing a universal design a 1 km distance of public transport stops with the best potential to grow. approach in the design of walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure and in the retrofitting of older infrastructure. MDelivering metropolitan area transport strategies in the five cities and preparing local transport plans for the regional growth centres and key towns. MIntroducing a more equitable fares structure. MExpanding the transport planning remit MReviewing, updating and developing of the National Transport Authority (NTA) to all of the five cities. existing guidelines, standards and supporting legislation, where necessary, to allow for a range of solutions to be developed for the reallocation of road space use to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport. MDeveloping a governance framework for Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The Policy aims to improve the Delivery of Sustainable Mobility by MImplementing the accompanying action plan to 2025 and a reviewed and updated action plan for 2026 to 2030. MEstablishing a Leadership Group to oversee and drive implementation of the Policy and delivery of the action plan, and agree a programme of “pathfinder” projects at local level. MIntroducing a new annual National Household Travel Survey to measure progress against the Policy’s targets. MConvening a new National Sustainable Mobility Forum to provide a platform for collaborative engagement with national, regional and local stakeholders. MIncreasing public engagement around the benefits of sustainable mobility and raising awareness of the availability of alternative options to the private car. MEstablishing a new National Transport Authority Advisory Council to engage with the NTA around the discharge of its functions. MDeveloping a transport research network to support existing research programmes and draw on the sustainable mobility expertise available across academia and industry, both in Ireland and internationally. CHAPTER ## 2 ### 2 *Pages 19–20* Alignment with existing policies National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies ### Introduction *Pages 20–26* Sustainable mobility policy cannot be considered in isolation given its key role in meeting climate change objectives, supporting housing delivery, as well as its economic, health and social benefits. This Policy has been developed to align with, and complement, other international, European and national policies and frameworks. International OECD – Well-being lens The OECD has developed a process – the ‘well-being lens’ – to help governments achieve the transformational change needed to reach international climate goals while improving wider wellbeing outcomes. The OECD 2021 report – Transport Strategies for Net-Zero Systems by Design – applies the well-being process to the transport sector. It builds on the 2019 report - Accelerating Climate Action - and encourages countries to focus climate action on delivering systems that, by design, improve wellbeing while requiring less energy and materials and producing less emissions. The report identifies three dynamics at the source of car dependency and high emissions: induced demand, urban sprawl and the erosion of active and shared transport modes. The report also provides policy recommendations to reverse such dynamics and reduce emissions. These include street redesign and improved management of public space; spatial planning focused on creating proximity; and policies to mainstream shared mobility. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals In 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity and applies to both developed and developing countries. The focus of the 2030 Agenda is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their respective 169-sub targets. The goals are all interconnected and address environmental, economic and social challenges. There is alignment between the UN SDGs and the high-level goals of this Policy in areas such as SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being; SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and SDG 13 Climate Action. Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015. It sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and trying to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support them in their efforts. Ireland signed up to the Paris Agreement in 2016. Achieving the goals of the agreement will require an intensive programme of decarbonisation across nations, including within the transport sector, as one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. This Policy supports its goals through measures to decarbonise the public transport fleet and encourage modal shift to sustainable modes of travel. The well-being lens will be applied to the passenger transport sector in Ireland as part of a project to be carried out by the OECD in 2022 for the Climate Change Advisory Council. The Council is an independent advisory body which has the role of informing and shaping Ireland’s response to climate change, as well as of monitoring the Government’s progress towards its climate targets. The OECD project will look at both urban and rural areas, with a particular attention to climate justice considerations in the latter. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies European MMake all transport modes more sustainable. MMake sustainable alternatives widely available European Green Deal and EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy in a multi-modal transport system. MPut in place the right incentives to drive the ![Figure from page 21](assets/p021-f01.webp) *Figure from page 21* transition. The strategy sets out a four year action plan structured around 10 key flagship areas for action. The vision, principles and goals of this Policy align with a number of the flagships, in particular Flagship 3: Making interurban and urban mobility more sustainable and healthy; Flagship 6: Making connected and automated multi-modal mobility a reality; Flagship 7: Innovation, data and artificial intelligence for smarter mobility; Flagship 9: Making mobility fair and just for all; and Flagship 10 Enhancing transport safety and security. The strategy proposes that all large and medium sized cities should put in place sustainable urban mobility plans by 2030 to address challenges such as congestion, air/noise pollution, climate change, road collisions, on-street parking and the integration of new mobility services. The European Green Deal was published by the European Commission in 2019 and is a roadmap for making the European Union’s (EU) economy environmentally sustainable. It outlines the actions and targets needed to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. As an intermediate step towards climate neutrality, the EU has raised its 2030 climate ambition committing to cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030 which is known as the Fit for 55 package. The EU is working on the revision of its climate, energy and transport-related legislation under the Fit for 55 package in order to align current laws with the 2030 and 2050 ambitions. European Urban Mobility Framework ![Figure from page 21](assets/p021-f02.webp) *Figure from page 21* The European Commission subsequently launched its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy in 2020. It aims to put the EU on the path to creating a sustainable, smart and resilient mobility system and bring about the fundamental changes needed to achieve the objectives of the Green Deal. The strategy is structured around three key objectives – making the European transport system sustainable, smart and resilient. It highlights the importance of making mobility available and affordable for all, that rural and remote regions must remain connected, and that European transport must offer good social conditions to its workers and provide attractive jobs. The strategy recognises that in order to meet the sustainability objective and achieve the systematic change required under the EU Green Deal, there is a need to: The European Urban Mobility Framework was launched by the European Commission in 2021 and sets out guidance on how cities can cut emissions and improve mobility, including through sustainable urban mobility plans. The main focus is on public transport, walking and cycling. The proposal also considers zero-emission solutions for urban fleets, including taxis and ride hailing services, the last mile of urban deliveries, and the construction and modernisation of multimodal hubs, as well as new digital solutions and services. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies National the transition to sustainable mobility and meet our climate goals. The NDP will also continue to support the protection and maintenance of the existing road network to ensure the safe and efficient travel of all road users across the country, as well as targeted new road investment to provide for regional connectivity and compact urban growth. National Planning Framework The NPF sets out policy on spatial planning over the period to 2040 to accommodate Ireland’s projected demographic changes in a sustainable and balanced way. It identifies ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) built around the overarching themes of well-being, equality and opportunity. Sustainable mobility is a key enabler of a number of these NSOs particularly in relation to NSO 1: Compact Growth; NSO 2: Enhanced Regional Accessibility; NSO 3: Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities; NSO 4: Sustainable Mobility; and NSO 8: Transition to a Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Society. Climate Action Plan 2021 The Climate Action Plan 2021 charts a course to reduce transport greenhouse gas emissions to meet our commitments to a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. This equates to an emissions reduction target for the transport sector of 7 million tonnes of CO₂. The plan contains considerably more ambitious measures and actions than its 2019 predecessor reflecting the step change in climate ambition nationally and internationally. The plan, which will be updated annually, recognises that expanding the availability of sustainable mobility to provide meaningful alternative to everyday private car use is necessary to reduce transport emissions. This will require continued and enhanced investment in our walking, cycling and public infrastructure and services across the country on a scale not previously seen. It sets transport target metrics of 500,000 additional active travel and public transport journeys per day and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil fuelled cars by 2030. The Climate Action Plan will be further revised in 2022 taking account of carbon budgets and associated sectoral ceilings. The associated targets in this Policy will be adjusted once the sectoral emission targets for transport have been settled. The NPF recognises that the provision of a well-functioning integrated public transport system, enhancing competitiveness, sustaining economic progress and enabling sustainable mobility choices for citizens, supports the overall framework objectives. It includes a number of specific National Policy Objectives around sustainable mobility such as integrating land use and spatial planning to support public transport and transport-orientated development, promoting walking and cycling as more favourable modes of transport to the private car, and prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments. National Development Plan The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 outlines a €165 billion capital investment plan for the decade with a particular focus on priority solutions to strengthen housing, climate ambitions, transport, healthcare, jobs growth and economic renewal. The NDP allocates €35 billion for transport over the ten years which will enable the development of a range of active travel and bus and rail infrastructure over the coming years to facilitate There are over 70 actions in the transport chapter of the Climate Action Plan from delivering significant enhancements across public transport, active travel and electric vehicle charging infrastructure to developing strategies that will help drive behavioural change away from traditional fossil fuelled private car journeys to healthier, more sustainable mobility options. These actions are reflected in, and complemented by, actions included in this Policy. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland Town Centre First Town Centre First – A Policy Approach for Irish Towns was published in 2022 and builds upon and complements a wide range of government policies. It provides a crosscutting and collaborative framework for central government, local authorities, public and private sector stakeholders, and especially communities, to put the health of town centres at the heart of decision-making processes. This will enable a coordinated approach across government to the delivery of commitments for town centre renewal in Ireland in a manner that will be both informed by and supportive of the wider policy framework. Providing citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options to enable better mobility choices is a key enabler of town centre regeneration. Housing for All is the Government’s housing plan to 2030 to improve Ireland’s housing system and deliver more homes of all types for people with different housing needs. It is estimated that Ireland will need an average of 33,000 new homes to be provided each year from 2021 to 2030. Sustainable mobility infrastructure and services are a critical enabler of new housing supply and aligning land use planning with transportorientated development can support the delivery of large-scale housing development at key strategic locations. In order to meet the twin NPF objectives of tackling climate change and delivering more compact growth, Housing for All recognises that there is a need for developments at scale in our cities, particularly close to public transport nodes and where walking and cycling can become the dominant form of mobility within our town centres. Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 Underpinning the Road Safety Strategy 2021- 2030 is Ireland’s long-term goal of achieving Vision Zero (zero road deaths or serious injuries) by 2050. Vision Zero was formally adopted in the Programme for Government in 2020 and underpins the EU Road Safety Policy Framework (2021-2030) and the UN’s Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030). To ensure this long-term goal is achieved, the Road Safety Strategy sets a target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030. Our Rural Future Our Rural Future 2021- 2025 is the national rural development policy. It recognises that people living in rural areas should have access to good quality public services that enable them to continue to live sustainably in rural communities and help them to maintain a good quality of life. Transport services are hugely important for people who live and work in rural Ireland. Improvement and further integration of rural public transport services will enable people to continue to live in rural area and to access work, education and social activities, while development of active travel amenities will bring economic and social benefits to communities. Seven Safe System priority intervention areas have been identified including safe and healthy modes of travel to promote and protect road users engaging in public transport or active travel. It involves the promotion of safer public transport modes and the promotion and provision of safe road environments for otherwise healthy active modes. This includes walking and cycling where the risks of death and serious injury are higher National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies than for protected, in-vehicle road users. The strategy’s actions under safe and healthy modes of travel align with the actions in this Policy to maintain and improve our existing sustainable mobility system while also providing a safe space for all road users. A number of actions under other priority intervention areas also complement this Policy’s vision, principles and goals. The plan recognises the need for interlinking policies and programme implementation in the promotion of physical activity across domains such as health, education, sport, recreational physical activity, transport and environment. It contains 60 actions across eight areas. Healthy Ireland and the National Physical Activity Plan feed into and play a vital role in the development and promotion of active travel, and supporting the vision, principles and goals of this Policy. Healthy Ireland: A Framework for Improved Health and Well-being 2013-2025 Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways Healthy Ireland was launched in 2013 as a strategic framework to improve the health and well-being of the nation. The framework is based on international evidence which shows that to create positive change in population health and well-being, a whole of government approach and the buy in of local communities, as well as all of society is required. Healthy Ireland sets out four central goals and outlines actions under six thematic areas. The Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways was published in 2018 and sets out how national and regional greenways in Ireland should be planned and constructed over the following ten years. While the focus is on tourism and leisure amenities, greenways have potential to enable active travel within local communities and many of the routes funded under the strategy will provide safe segregated routes to schools and workplaces. The Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021- 2025 was published in 2021 to take stock of the progress made on the original framework and to provide a detailed roadmap for the remaining years of the framework. The plan contains 56 actions across the six themes which will be implemented using a cross-government approach. Well-Being Framework The Well-Being Framework is a Programme for Government commitment to create a set of indicators to support a broader context for policymaking. It is a cross-government initiative that aims to provide a multidimensional approach to understanding what makes for a better quality of life and thereby more connected policymaking. By considering and measuring progress across economic, societal, environmental and health outcomes, it aims to provide a holistic view of whether taken as a whole, things are getting better or worse, our relative performance, whether it is equal across cohorts, and if it is sustainable into the future. National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland The National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland was published in 2016 following a commitment in the Healthy Ireland Framework. The key target of the plan is to increase the number of people taking regular exercise by 1% a year over ten years by making exercise a normal part of everyday life and giving people more opportunities to be active. The plan seeks to ensure that no group is disadvantaged and recognises that targeted interventions are required to address and overcome barriers to participation. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies The first report on the development of the framework was approved by Government in June 2021. It includes an initial Well-Being Framework and supporting measurements tool – the Well- Being Dashboard – which will be improved over time. It is intended that the Well-Being Framework will be integrated across government policymaking. The overall vision and dimensions of the framework link closely with the vision, principles and goals of this Policy. private transport. To make best use of our existing assets, protecting and renewing the existing land transport network should, where possible, be the first solution considered. This is followed by maximising the value of the network through optimising its use. Infrastructural investment will then be considered after these two categories have been assessed as inappropriate for the identified problem, with upgrades to existing infrastructure to be considered before outright new infrastructure. National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland The National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland (NIFTI) is the long-term sectoral strategy for investment in land transport and replaces the 2015 Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport. Its purpose is to establish the high-level direction and parameters for future investment and ensure that investment is consistent with Government policy. NIFTI is a high-level tool through which project sponsors can align capital transport projects with the NPF. It will guide transport investment to support the delivery of the NPF, enable the Climate Action Plan and promote positive social, environmental and economic outcomes throughout Ireland. The framework establishes four high-level strategic investment priorities – Decarbonisation; Protection and Renewal; Mobility of People and Goods in Urban Areas; and Enhanced Regional and Rural Connectivity. These priorities are not an either/or scenario. Investment is required in all these areas to support the NPF and Climate Action Plan objectives. The priorities represent the key objectives of transport investment that new projects should align with. NIFTI also establishes a process to help decide the best solution to an identified need or problem through modal and interventional hierarchies. The framework encourages the use of active travel and public transport ahead of solutions reliant on Note: this image is low resolution, send on the high res video file and we will extract an image as high res as we can. ## 3 ### Introduction *Pages 27–28* This Policy sets out a strategic framework for sustainable mobility – active travel and public transport - in Ireland to 2030. The primary focus is to cater for daily travel needs in a more sustainable manner. We intend to achieve this by making sustainable modes the most attractive choice. Vision Our vision for sustainable mobility in Ireland in 2030 is: ![Figure from page 27](assets/p027-f01.webp) *Figure from page 27* To connect people and places with sustainable mobility that is safe, green, accessible and efficient. The Policy is guided by three key principles which are underpinned by 10 high-level goals. Principles and Goals | PRINCIPLES | GOALS | | --- | --- | | Safe and Green Mobility | 1. Improve mobility safety. 2. Decarbonise public transport. 3. Expand availability of sustainable mobility in metropolitan areas. 4. Expand availability of sustainable mobility in regional and rural areas. 5. Encourage people to choose sustainable mobility over the private car. | | People Focused Mobility | 6. Take a whole of journey approach to mobility, promoting inclusive access for all. 7. Design infrastructure according to Universal Design Principles and the Hierarchy of Road Users model. 8. Promote sustainable mobility through research and citizen engagement. | | Betet r Integrated Mobility | 9. Betet r integrate land use and transport planning at all levels. 10. Promote smart and integrated mobility through innovative technologies and development of appropriate regulation. | National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Our Vision Targets Learning from past experience, and as recommended by the OECD, the implementation of each action will be led by a named government department, state agency or other body with supporting stakeholders identified and timelines and outputs assigned against each action. In addition, the Policy is underpinned by a multiannual investment programme under the NDP 2021-2030 to provide a platform for delivery. The timeline of the Policy is aligned with the timeline of the NDP which sets out the capital ceilings out to 2030 alongside five year rolling departmental capital ceilings and investment priorities. Our overarching targets are aligned with the transport target metrics in the Climate Action Plan 2021 of 500,000 additional active travel and public transport journeys per day and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil fuelled cars by 2030. It is estimated that this will deliver a reduction in greenhouse emissions of 1.4MtCO₂eq by 2030. The process for settling carbon budgets and associated sectoral emissions ceilings under the Climate Act, which is currently underway, may impact the targets for the transport chapter in the next revision of the Climate Action Plan 2022. Such changes will need to be taken into account as part of the on-going review of targets and indicators for this Policy. ### " *Pages 28–30* The principles, goals and actions set out in this Policy represent a holistic framework to enable realisation of these challenging targets. In order to measure progress, a new annual National Household Travel Survey will be developed by the NTA, building on their experience gained through the current 5-year survey, and published each year. This annual survey will allow us track progress toward our targets, analyse the impact of post-COVID-19 travel patterns and provide a rich and current data source for Irish transport research. The first of these surveys will be available in early 2023 with annual updates published thereafter and will provide an evidenceinformed perspective on progress toward our 2030 targets. In order to measure progress, a new annual National Household Travel Survey will be developed by the NTA, building on their experience gained through the current 5-year survey, and published each year. The Policy will be implemented in collaboration with other government departments, the NTA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the regional assemblies, local authorities and other stakeholders. A Leadership Group will be established to oversee implementation of the Policy and delivery of the action plan including the mid-term review of the action plan in 2025. The group will be chaired by the Department of Transport and will include representatives of the key stakeholders involved in leading and supporting implementation of the actions. Implementation, monitoring and review The Policy is accompanied by an action plan to 2025 with a comprehensive range of new and expanded measures across the 10 high-level goals. These will be supported by complementary actions from other relevant national policies and strategies, which will support delivery of the Policy’s goals. The action plan will be reviewed in 2025 to measure how we are delivering our goals. This will allow us to take stock, to update actions and to add new actions where necessary for the remaining five years to 2030. The Leadership Group will report to the Minister for Transport on a quarterly basis and progress on implementation of the Policy will be overseen National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Our Vision expenditure allocations provided through the annual budgetary process. by the Cabinet Committee on Environment and Climate Change. The Cabinet Committee is supported by a Senior Officials Group of civil servants from key government departments. The Leadership Group will publish an annual report, utilising the data from the new annual National Household Travel Survey to detail progress against the targets, outlining implementation progress against the actions in the action plan and reporting on issues such as: Over the period 2021 to 2030, approximately €35 billion in capital funding has been allocated for the transport system, while Budget 2022 has allocated a further €538 million to support public transport services in 2022 alone. In relation to current expenditure, the Department of Transport, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, has engaged NewERA to carry out a review of the public transport Public Service Obligation programme. This will establish an agreed estimate of the core funding required to deliver the current range of services and, as a second phase of analysis, forecast the costs arising over and above that core funding to deliver the public transport services deemed necessary to fulfil this Policy’s targets. MKilometres of active travel infrastructure developed annually. MKilometres of bus lanes/bus priority developed annually. MNumber of zero/low emission vehicles/ carriages in public transport fleet. MNumber of train stations with full platform accessibility. MOverall satisfaction level with public transport. MAnnual number of public transport journeys. A number of non-Exchequer related policy levers will also be applied including regulatory and demand management measures. We are committed to improving the recording and provision of data in relation to sustainable mobility. For some areas such as transport accessibility, affordability, integrated mobility and active travel infrastructure, gaps in existing data sources mean we are unable to identify sufficiently robust reporting indicators at this stage to measure progress in these areas. The Leadership Group will look to establish suitable indicators in these areas for inclusion in the annual report. A National Sustainable Mobility Forum will be established to provide a platform for wider collaborative engagement with national, regional and local stakeholders around the implementation of the Policy. Further information on the role of this forum and the Leadership Group is set out under Goal 8. Funding Implementation of the Policy will be funded through the capital expenditure allocations provided by the NDP and through the current Note: this image is low resolution, send on the high res video file and we will extract an image as high res as we can. ## 4 ### 4 *Pages 30–31* Principle 1: Safe and National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility ### Introduction *Pages 31–32* Sustainable mobility needs to be safe and accessible for all users. We will support the commitment to achieve Vision Zero (zero road deaths or serious injuries) on our roads by 2050 by ensuring that our existing and new walking, cycling and public transport networks continue to meet the highest safety standards. Safe road use by all road users will also be fostered through education, training and enforcement measures. The design of walking and cycling infrastructure, as well as areas in the vicinity of public transport services, are important safety factors. Welldesigned, well-maintained, appropriately-lit, continuous and better integrated infrastructure can help people feel safe and encourage them to choose these options over the private car. We will also continue to support measures to address safety issues when travelling on public transport. to better facilitate walking, cycling and public transport is required. The overarching objective in urban centres should be to focus more on the movement of people rather than the movement of the private car. Modal shift will not be achieved if demand for transport is not managed effectively and we will put in place measures to support this. This Policy aims to make sure that active travel and public transport options are the preferred choice for as many people as possible. Expanding walking and cycling options to promote greater use of active travel can support our climate targets to reduce emissions as well as improving fitness levels and public health, and reducing congestion and private car use. Diverting short car trips to active modes will have a particular benefit in reducing air pollution to which short car trips disproportionately contribute due to the ‘cold start’ effect12. Five high-level goals have been developed to help us deliver this principle. Safe and Green Mobility Goals Alongside this, expanding public transport capacity and services and moving our public transport fleets to low and zero emission vehicles will enable people to make the switch towards more sustainable modes of travel and reduce car dependency. Transport needs are not uniform across the country and we recognise that tailored solutions will be needed for both urban and rural areas. 1. Improve mobility safety. 2. Decarbonise public transport. 3. Expand availability of sustainable mobility in metropolitan areas. There is a need to rebalance transport movement in metropolitan areas and other urban centres away from the private car and towards active travel and public transport. This will require a greater allocation of available road/street space to be given to sustainable mobility. In addition, a rebalancing of traffic light signalling at junctions 4. Expand availability of sustainable mobility in regional and rural areas. 5. Encourage people to choose sustainable mobility over the private car. 12 During the first minutes of starting a car, if engine block and coolant temperatures are low, incomplete combustion results in higher emissions than at ordinary operating temperatures. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility ### Safety *Pages 32–35* Improve mobility safety GOAL 1 Goal 1 aims to improve the safety of all mobility options including active travel, road and rail and to prioritise the safety and security of those working on / travelling by sustainable mobility. We will continue to work to minimise risk through regulation and collaboration with our state bodies including the Commission for Railway Regulation, the NTA, the Road Safety Authority and TII, along with the public transport operators. Strategy 2021-2030 prioritises the safety of those who are most vulnerable to ensure their right to travel the roads safely is protected. The safety of people walking and cycling is a primary factor that needs to be considered carefully in the design of all transport schemes and services, and in retrofitting existing infrastructure if necessary. Ireland’s road safety performance has improved considerably in recent years and the country was ranked as the second safest EU Member State in 2019, However, 147 lives were lost on the road and 1,111 people were seriously injured in 202013 and we need to do more to protect all road users and continue to work towards our Vision Zero commitment. The Safe Routes to School Programme was developed in response to ongoing issues of safety and congestion at the school gate and on routes to school. Safer walking and cycling infrastructure within communities will be provided under the programme to make it easier for children, parents and teachers to safely walk, cycle and scoot to school every day. Pedestrians and cyclists are more vulnerable on the road than motorists. The Road Safety 13 www.rsa.ie/about/safety-strategy-2021-2030 National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility Case Study | Safe Routes to School The Safe Routes to School Design Guide aims to provide technical guidance on design principles and considerations to enable local authorities, in conjunction with Green Schools, to create safer, calmer, more attractive routes to school and front of school environments. The guide also aims to provide designers with a set of design concepts and ideas, and precedent examples of schemes that have successfully enhanced sustainable access to school. The Safe Routes to School Programme was launched in 2021 and is designed to encourage as many students as possible in primary and post-primary schools to walk, scoot and cycle. The programme has three aims: 1. To accelerate the delivery of walking/ scooting and cycling infrastructure on key access routes to schools. 2. To provide ‘front of school’ treatment to enhance access to school grounds. A total of 170 schools were selected for inclusion in round one of the Safe Routes to School Programme. The schools selected were assessed against a range of criteria including school type, location and the school’s commitment to sustainable travel. Schools that applied and which were not selected are not required to reapply as they will come into the programme on a rolling basis. 3. To expand the amount of bike parking available at schools. The programme is an initiative of the Department of Transport and supported by the Department of Education. It is operated by An Taisce’s Green Schools in partnership with the NTA and the local authorities. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility Seamless interchange between active travel and public transport is an important safety issue. Land use planning can play a key role by ensuring the integration of safe and convenient alternatives to the car into the design of local communities and by prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments. We also need to consider newer forms of mobility such as e-scooters and seek a balance between encouraging uptake of these forms of mobility while addressing user and public safety issues. public transport can be a deterrent to travelling by public transport. A range of measures have been put in place by the public transport operators to address safety concerns on public transport including security staff, CCTV, text alert systems, enhanced national and local protocols, and liaison with An Garda Síochána. To complement these measures and ensure continued safety on public transport, we will introduce an annual public transport safety and security audit to collate information on trends in incidents or anti-social behaviour relating to public transport and survey perceptions of safety and personal security. Further safety measures will be implemented where appropriate. Campaigns will also continue to be run on all modes of public transport to remind people of politeness and etiquette for others. These will include anti-racism, JAM card (a card which allows people with a learning difficulty, autism or communication barrier tell others they need ‘Just a Minute’ discreetly and easily), LGBTQ+ and Respect for Staff campaigns. The safety of our railway network and services will continue under the legally required Infrastructure Manager Multi-Annual Contract (IMMAC). The current IMMAC programme covers the period 2020 to 2024 and a new programme will be agreed for the period 2025 to 2030. Funding under the programme can increase service reliability and punctuality, improve journey times and ensure continued safety of rail services. The National Train Control Centre will introduce a fully integrated traffic management system to control signalling on the rail network while a new train protection system will be introduced across the complete network. There is ongoing significant investment in maintaining the existing road network to a robust and safe standard. This will continue to ensure that existing extensive road based public transport and active travel systems are maintained to a high-standard to underpin continued safe and quality levels of service, accessibility and connectivity for all users. Investment can also enable retrofitting the road network for more sustainable transport use, for example through the provision of bus lanes and cycle tracks. Alongside this investment, public education and awareness campaigns, as well as enforcement interventions, will be implemented to encourage the adoption of positive behaviours to safely share the roads. While the vast majority of public transport journeys occur without risk to passenger or staff safety and security, incidents of anti-social behaviour at stations and stops, and on-board National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility ### Decarbonisation *Pages 35–39* Decarbonise public transport GOAL 2 Goal 2 aims to reduce emissions by transitioning the bus, rail and small public service vehicle (SPSV) fleet across the country to low/zero emission vehicles in line with available technology. The actions under this goal are aligned with the actions in the Climate Action Plan 2021 to reduce emissions in the sustainable mobility sector. In 2019 we committed to ending the purchase of diesel-only buses for our subsidised urban bus fleets. Our subsidised bus fleets in the five cities, as well as town, regional and Local Link bus fleets are beginning the transition to zero emissions vehicles through ongoing renewal of the existing fleets along with expansion of the fleets. A strategy will also be developed to enable the decarbonisation of commercial and subsidised long-distance bus services. The scope to electrify suburban rail services in the other cities is being considered in the context of their metropolitan area transport strategies. The Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy envisages an electrified Cork suburban rail network and the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme will support this future electrification. Phase one of the programme is being funded through the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility and will address the existing rail bottleneck in the city centre, resignal the entire Mallow to Midleton/Cobh corridor and double-track a section of the corridor between Glounthaune and Midleton. Phase two of the programme will see the construction of additional stations and provision of additional fleet. Improvements are also planned for both Limerick and Galway commuter rail and the detailed delivery of those plans will be set out in their respective metropolitan area transport strategies, as to be published in the case of Limerick and revised in the case of Galway. In rail, our key focus is to expand electrification. Under the DART+ programme in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA)14, electric and batteryelectric fleet will be purchased to extend DART services to Drogheda in the north, Maynooth and M3 Parkway in the West, Hazelhatch in the Southwest, and to increase services to Greystones in the southeast. This will increase the length of the rail network with electrified services from 50km to 150 km by 2030. 14 The GDA covers the counties of Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility Figure 7: Timelines and approximate number of buses for the five cities Waterford Limerick Galway Dublin Cork 2021 2025 2030 n Diesel n Low Emission n Zero Emission Inter-city and inter-regional rail travel are much smaller components of total annual passenger journeys compared to suburban rail journeys and the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy notes that rail electrification may not be viable in all cases. The all-island Strategic Rail Review will consider the potential for enhanced inter-urban and inter regional connectivity in the coming decades, including the future decarbonisation of the network. In the meantime, increased investment in the inter-urban and regional network will improve journey times, enhance reliability and maintain safety across the system. low/zero emission options. A strategy will be developed to enable further decarbonisation of the sector. Expand availability of sustainable mobility Improving active travel infrastructure in both urban and rural areas together with improved and expanded public transport services across the country is needed to reduce car dependency. Increased investment in walking and cycling infrastructure will provide a safe and connected network to those who wish to travel by active means. The SPSV sector is an important part of the public transport sector. The transition of the SPSV fleet towards low/zero emission vehicles can contribute to achieving a substantial reduction in transport emissions and the Electric SPSV Grant Scheme has supported this transition in recent years. The decarbonisation of the taxi and hackney fleet is particularly relevant in our towns and cities due to the high mileage travelled by these vehicles, the stop/start nature of their work, as well as the predominance of fossil fuels within the sector. Increasing the uptake of electric vehicles in the SPSV sector also has a strong leadership effect by introducing more people to Implementation of public transport projects such as BusConnects, Connecting Ireland, and the expansion of rail services and infrastructure will significantly increase the capacity and range of our public transport network and ensure that future increases in travel demand can be facilitated by greener, high-capacity public transport. We also recognise the value of our existing sustainable mobility system and the importance of protecting and maintaining it to ensure that it is resilient to the impacts of climate change and evolving uses and travel patterns. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility Expand availability of sustainable mobility in metropolitan areas GOAL 3 Goal 3 aims to expand the capacity and availability of sustainable mobility in our five cities (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford). This will be done through improved walking, cycling, bus and rail infrastructure, improved transport interchange and expanded public transport services. Transformed active travel and bus infrastructure and services in all five cities is fundamental to achieving the targets of 500,000 additional daily active travel and public transport journeys and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil fuelled cars by 2030. Significant additional walking and cycling infrastructure will be delivered around the country by 2025, including in the five cities, under a new national active travel infrastructure programme. Bike share schemes can reduce reliance on the private car for shorter journeys, facilitate multimodal journeys by providing ‘first’ and ‘last’ mile connections to public transport and offer a low-cost entry point for new cyclists. Public bike share schemes will be expanded in the cities and will include the provision of electric bikes in some schemes to extend the reach of journeys. Pedestrian enhancement plans will be developed for each of the five metropolitan areas. These will set out proposals for the enhancement of pedestrian movement and the improvement of the public realm, including the potential to achieve improvements through both retrofitting of existing infrastructure and the provision of new infrastructure. The plans should take account of other sustainable mobility requirements and the needs of all users, including people with disabilities. Recent years have seen increases in the use of public transport with over 290 million passenger journeys on subsidised bus and rail services in 201915. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this resulted in some public transport routes operating at full capacity creating peak-time crowding. While the longer-term impact of COVID-19 on travel demand is unclear, the capacity issues 15 www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/PSO-Bus-and-Rail-Statistics-Bulletin-for-2019.pdf National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility which occurred prior to the pandemic along with the fact that 62% of journeys in urban areas in 2019 were by private car, highlights the need for a significant expansion of our public transport network and services. Public transport is also an essential support for the night-time economy and late night and 24-hour public transport options are important to meet the travel needs of latenight/early morning commuters and support the night-time economy of our cities and other urban areas. of improving people’s accessibility and increasing modal shift. Improved and expanded bus services and infrastructure are a key priority, and in the five metropolitan areas, these improvements and expansions will be delivered through BusConnects programmes in each. BusConnects programmes comprise a number of different elements including the network redesign of bus services and the development of core bus corridors infrastructure, including segregated cycling facilities, on the busiest routes to make journeys faster, predictable and reliable. BusConnects will enhance the capacity and potential of the public transport system by increasing and replacing the bus fleets with low emission vehicles and Our bus system carries by far the greatest number of passengers across the public transport system and improvements to it are vital in the context ![Figure from page 38](assets/p038-f01.webp) *Figure from page 38* National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility introducing a new system of Next Generation Ticketing and cashless payments. Increasing the attractiveness of bus systems in the cities will encourage a modal shift away from private car use, leading to a reduction in congestion and associated costs in the major urban centres. Prioritised bus lanes will also be provided on a number of national radial routes to the M50 to address congestion. once completed, will provide a sustainable, safe, efficient, integrated and accessible public transport service between Swords, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre. This new link will form a key spine of the overall integrated public transport system for Dublin, alongside BusConnects and DART+, and facilitate compact, transport-orientated development at key locations. In relation to light rail, design and development of other light rail projects within the GDA and Cork are continuing while the feasibility of light rail in Galway will be considered as part of the review of the Galway Transport Strategy which will commence in 2022. In the five metropolitan areas there are a number of opportunities to further develop the role of rail as part of an integrated public transport system. Investment in high-capacity public transport, such as rail, also provides an opportunity to unlock lands for large-scale housing delivery and enable transport-orientated development at key strategic locations in each of the five metropolitan areas. Across the GDA, the DART+ Programme will ultimately treble the length of electrified services, with a new ten-year procurement framework already in place for new fleet and construction to start initially on DART+ West followed by the other projects within the overall programme – DART+ South West, DART+ Coastal North and DART+ Coastal South. The Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme is underway which will ultimately deliver electrified services on Cork suburban rail and enable transport-orientated development at a number of important sites across the metropolitan area. In Limerick, plans are well advanced in relation to developing both the facilities at Colbert Station and the lands around the station for residential development, while proposals are being developed for the expansion of its commuter rail network. In Galway, works will shortly commence in relation to the redevelopment of Ceannt Station and Oranmore Station both of which support the delivery of residential development in their immediate hinterlands while further proposals are under development in relation to the Athenry to Galway Corridor generally. Finally in Waterford, plans are well-advanced to relocate the existing train station to a new location on the North Quays as part of a wider urban regeneration project. ### " *Pages 39–42* BusConnects will enhance the capacity and potential of the public transport system by increasing and replacing the bus fleets with low emission vehicles and introducing a new system of Next Generation Ticketing and cashless payments. Beyond the built up areas of our cities, the provision of park and ride close to transport links can ensure access to cities for those living outside the major settlements and reduce the need for people to travel into the cities by car. Over the period of this Policy, construction of MetroLink in Dublin will commence which, National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility Expand availability of sustainable mobility in regional and rural areas GOAL 4 Goal 4 aims to expand the capacity and availability of sustainable mobility in a regional and rural context. This will be done through the delivery of improved active travel infrastructure, expansion of regional bus and rail services and local bus networks, and improved connectivity between different transport modes. Pedestrian enhancement plans will also be developed for the regional growth centres and key towns identified in the NPF and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies. Improved walking and cycling infrastructure in towns and villages can support the Town Centre First principle through enabling access to local services by active travel. Greenways have an important role, both in terms of their economic contribution to communities in attracting tourism and leisure activity, but also their potential to enable active travel within local communities as part of the overall cycle network within settlements. Greater connectivity from/ to greenways to city, town and village centres is being prioritised. Cycle network plans will be developed for all counties to guide investment in cycling infrastructure, including both new infrastructure and retrofitting of existing infrastructure, in order to develop a network of cycle routes for each county. In tandem with this, a strategic national cycle network will be identified, providing key inter-urban links and enabling the continued development and delivery of that network. The rollout of active travel infrastructure projects in local communities will be supported by staff resources dedicated to active travel projects in local authorities and National Roads Offices around the country. Across regional and rural Ireland, the bus is at the heart of the public transport system and, just as in the five metropolitan areas, improved and expanded bus services and infrastructure are a key policy priority. Over the period of this Policy there will be continued enhancement and expansion of bus services in towns across the country to better connect local communities and enable modal shift. In rural Ireland, the delivery of the NTA’s Connecting Ireland programme in the coming years will significantly improve bus services, with enhanced and expanded local services to be introduced providing better connections between villages and towns. This will see the expansion of Local Link rural transport services and the prioritisation of public transport projects that enhance regional and rural connectivity. The Local Link offices play an important role in embedding integration within transport service planning by coordinating requirements for access to employment, health, Given the potential of bike share schemes to facilitate multi-modal journeys and support increased use of active travel, we will develop a model for bike share schemes, including the potential for electric bikes, in the regional growth centres and key towns. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility social and education opportunities. Local routes will be integrated with enhanced regional interurban bus and rail services to connect to cities and regional centres. Connecting Ireland will entail a review and integration of the timetables of bus and rail services to ensure better integration between and within modes and services. To support the delivery of enhanced services under Connecting Ireland, we will renew and expand the bus fleets on regional and rural bus services across the country along with the development of an enhanced bus stop programme including provision of shelters, where appropriate, for regional and rural services. The Strategic Rail Review will examine all aspects of inter-urban and inter-regional rail on the island of Ireland and will consider how to improve regional rail connectivity. It will also examine the potential for high-/higher speed rail across various corridors and the potential of rail to better connect the North-West of the island with the rest of the island. Case Study | Connecting Ireland Connecting Ireland is a five year plan which has been developed by the NTA to increase public transport connectivity for people living outside our major cities and towns. It seeks to make public transport for rural communities more useful for more people by: MEnsuring public transport caters for a range of functions and not just focus on options for commuting to work or education. MBetter integrating timetables to make public transport more useful and connections between different public transport options easier. MImproving existing services. MAdding new services. Connecting Ireland will be implemented collaboratively by the NTA, local authorities, other state agencies, the commercial bus sector, PSO operators and Local Link. Following analysis of feedback received through public consultation, the NTA will commence detailed planning and phased implementation of Connecting Ireland from 2022. MEnhancing the current Demand Responsive Transport network which meets the transport needs of people who live in remote locations. To get a better understanding of where improvements are needed, the NTA carried out a comprehensive assessment of the existing network of regular public transport services operating across the country on a county-by county basis. This identified the following areas for improvement: MAddressing gaps in the network as two in five villages are not connected to their nearby big town. MImproving connectivity between places as some areas are well connected while others are not well served. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility ### demand management *Pages 42–44* Encourage people to choose sustainable mobility over the private car GOAL 5 Goal 5 aims to encourage modal shift to more sustainable options across all ages through behavioural change and demand management measures. elements of shortlisted demand management measures and developed a set of user-friendly toolkits to enable stakeholders, such as local authorities, to quickly identify appropriate demand management measures for their areas. Phase two quantified and predicted the impact of certain measures and provided a series of evidence based demand management recommendations for each city (ranked in order of effectiveness) along with a national roadmap for delivery. The findings and recommendations from the study will inform the implementation of demand management policy measures at national and local level over the coming years. Travel choices can depend on personal characteristics such as age, gender and income. It can also depend on where people live, work, availability of transport, convenience and the built environment. People travel for a wide range of reasons – for work, education, shopping and leisure. This Policy aims to deliver the necessary supports, investment, infrastructure and information so that travelling by sustainable mobility is easy, practical and appealing. Changing people’s travel behaviour to more sustainable options will have a substantial impact on our environment, as well as health and well-being. A key challenge is getting people to change their travel behaviour both in terms of reducing travel demand and how they travel. Creating viable alternatives to the private car is not enough. In order to change habits, we need to both incentivise the use of active travel and public transport but also introduce measures to reduce the attractiveness of private car movements where sustainable mobility options exist. As part of the study, a wide range of measures were identified and assessed in terms of their impact in reducing emissions, tackling congestion, improving air quality and improving the overall urban environment of the five cities. This includes measures such as reallocating road space from cars to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport; delivering safer walking and cycling options; reducing parking provision; and introducing the concept of 15 minute neighbourhoods – where all the daily travel needs of a city’s population can be reached by a short walk, cycle or public transport journey. The Department of Transport will engage with the regional assemblies and local authorities to identify a pathway for the implementation of demand management measures in the coming years taking account of the recommendations of the Five Cities Demand Management Study. A new Demand Management Unit will be established within the Department of Transport to carry out this work. As a first step, a demand management scheme for the GDA will be developed by the NTA. Demand management is essential to promote a greater share of sustainable modes as well as creating more liveable urban environments. Demand management is also one of the key transport actions of the Climate Action Plan 2021 to reduce kilometres driven by internal combustion engine cars by a minimum of 10% by 2030. The Five Cities Demand Management Study was commissioned by the Department of Transport in 2019 to identify what drives transport demand and to assess ways to encourage a greater shift to more sustainable and healthier forms of travel in Ireland’s largest urban centres – Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. The study was developed in two phases. Phase one examined the qualitative National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility Existing behavioural change programmes including the Green Schools Travel and Smarter Travel Workplaces and Campus programmes will continue and will support dedicated active travel infrastructure schemes such as the Safe Routes to School Programme and improved bike parking. Cycle training will be expanded across the country under the Cycle Right training programme for schools to encourage children and young people to adopt more sustainable travel patterns. We will also examine the potential of additional incentives to promote an increase in the use of active travel taking account of international best practice in this area. on their routes; barriers to cycling (for those who do not cycle); and potential changes that would encourage non-cyclists to cycle more often. A second survey was carried out for the Dublin Metropolitan Area in 2021 which included an assessment of walking in the area and was renamed as the ‘Walking and Cycling Index’. The Walking and Cycling Index reports every two years and in future years the survey will be expanded to the Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford metropolitan areas. In order to reinforce these measures, a large-scale impactful media campaign - informed by research and consumer information - will be needed to encourage the general public to make the switch to sustainable modes, whether walking, cycling and/or public transport. Such a campaign will need to acknowledge the wide variety of cohorts within the travelling public, their particular circumstances and transportation requirements. This will form part of a general public engagement initiative in support of the Policy. In 2020, the NTA, in partnership with sustainable transport charity Sustrans, published the first ever ‘Bike Life’16 survey in Ireland for the Dublin Metropolitan Area. The aim of the standardised survey was to obtain a representative view of Dublin Metropolitan residents on incidence and frequency of cycling; reasons for cycling; attitudes towards cycling facilities in their area/ 16 www.nationaltransport.ie/bike-life-2019-dublin-metropolitan-area/ ![Figure from page 43](assets/p043-f01.webp) *Figure from page 43* CHAPTER ## 5 ### 5 *Pages 44–45* Principle 2: People Focused Mobility National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility ### Introduction *Pages 45–47* Sustainable mobility options should be accessible to everyone. We will support a people focused and rights-based approach in the delivery of this Policy to enable access to education, health care, work, and cultural and public life. Universally accessible, affordable and reliable sustainable mobility can make a big difference to quality of life, and public transport in particular can play a big part in reducing social isolation and enabling people to go about their daily lives. Under this Policy, we will continue to progressively make our walking, cycling and public transport systems more accessible for people with disabilities, people with reduced mobility and older people, using an integrated universal design approach. If we focus on the needs of our most vulnerable users, we can improve sustainable mobility options for everyone. An equality focus will be applied to the planning, design and operation of sustainable mobility projects to address issues such as safety, access, reliability, convenience and comfort. Three high-level goals have been developed to help us deliver this principle. People Focused Mobility Goals 6. Take a whole of journey approach to mobility, promoting inclusive access for all. 7. Design infrastructure according to Universal Design Principles and the Hierarchy of Road Users model. Achieving the necessary shift to sustainable mobility will require both individual and collective effort. Public and stakeholder engagement is vital to achieve the principles and goals of this Policy. We will increase our engagement with the public around sustainable mobility and continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders at national, regional and local levels as the Policy is implemented. 8. Promote sustainable mobility through research and citizen engagement. ![Figure from page 45](assets/p045-f01.webp) *Figure from page 45* National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility International perspective | People focused mobility The OECD Transport Strategies for Net-Zero Systems by Design report recommends a shift in transport policy to reverse car dependency and reduce emissions while improving wellbeing. This involves moving (i) from a focus on mobility towards accessibility; and (ii) from improving vehicles’ performance in cardependent systems towards transforming the systems’ functioning (i.e. a systemic mind-set) so that people can access places with ease without the need to travel long distances for every daily need. people move daily. The report considers that the current design of city streets, with excessive and increasing road space granted to cars, fosters car dependency. MSpatial planning aimed at increasing the proximity of people to places to reverse urban sprawl. The report highlights the potential of the 15-minute city concept to guide and coordinate planning decisions so that people no longer need to travel long distances to meet their everyday needs and can get to many places by walking and cycling in less than 15 minutes. It identifies the following policies with the potential to reverse car dependency: MPolicies to mainstream shared mobility to accelerate the development of sustainable transport networks. The report considers that strengthening public transport networks is key to avoid the oftenobserved public transport low-cost, lowrevenue, low-quality trap. In parallel, the report identifies that support to mainstream shared bicycles and micro-mobility, and the expansion of on-demand micro-transit services is key to make these modes convenient options for daily trips. MStreet redesign and improved management of public space to reverse the trend of induced demand (i.e. increased vehicle ownership and use) by reallocating public space and investment to low carbon and space efficient modes, and balancing space use between transport and other uses. This can result in ‘disappearing traffic’ and make sustainable modes central to how National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility ### approach *Pages 47–50* Take a whole of journey approach to mobility, promoting inclusive access for all GOAL 6 Goal 6 aims to support a whole of journey approach from planning a journey to arriving at the final destination and make sustainable mobility accessible and affordable to everyone. A whole of journey approach is also supported under Goals 7 and 10 through implementing a universal design approach to the design of new and retrofitted infrastructure; adherence to the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets; and promoting integrated mobility through innovative technologies. A key priority is enabling ‘Access for All’ through the provision of sustainable mobility infrastructure and services that are accessible for all users, and especially for people with disabilities, reduced mobility and older people. This concept is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, the Disability Act 2005 and national strategies including the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities. them accessible. A lot of work has already been undertaken in recent years to retrofit bus and train stations to provide enhanced accessibility for people with reduced mobility, but further work is required to ensure that all stations are fully accessible. Investment in bus stops including upgraded poles and stop information throughout the country will continue to improve the accessibility of the bus network for all users. Other elements are also important to support a whole of journey approach such as decluttering footpaths; dished crossing for wheelchair users; provision of continuous footpaths and cycle tracks across side road junctions and property entrances; wider cycle facilities to accommodate cyclists with disabilities; removal of access controls (kissing gates) that prohibit wheelchair We will continue to progressively make our walking, cycling and public transport networks more accessible by ensuring that new infrastructure and services are accessible from the start and retrofitting older facilities to make National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility users and non-traditional bicycles; audible pedestrian crossings; along with the provision of information in accessible formats. 19 and 23 years old to avail of a 50% discount across all subsidised public transport services, including city, intercity and rural services. This will likely be implemented using the Leap card platform where a personalised Young Adult Card will be issued to those eligible and which expires on the cardholders 24th birthday. Consideration will be given to including mature students in full time study in the programme. The 50% fare will be set at half of the standard adult single fare on most networks. For some operators, the discount may be achieved by setting the daily and weekly caps at 50% of the standard cap. Infrastructure improvements will be complemented by continuing operational initiatives to make public transport services more accessible. These initiatives include the Travel Assistance Scheme, the Just a Minute (JAM) Card, disability awareness training for staff, and public transport disability user groups. As part of the BusConnects programme in the cities, fares will be simplified to make interchange seamless. This will be achieved by introducing time-based fares structures which are common across all modes. This stage of implementation has already taken place in the Dublin region with a 90 minute fare that allows multiple trips across and between bus, rail and light rail with the final leg commencing within 90 minutes of the start of the first leg. A new fares strategy will also be developed and implemented to ensure an equitable fares system for all applicable subsidised services. A more equitable structure will seek to ensure fares are distance-based for all non-urban public transport while also supporting premium fares for fast or express services. Metropolitan fares will not be purely distance based to support the need for simple structures to support inter-modal travel and fast boarding/alighting. Alongside this, a Young Adult Travel Card will be initially introduced to allow young adults between ![Figure from page 48](assets/p048-f01.webp) *Figure from page 48* National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility Case Study | Travel Assistance Scheme The Travel Assistance Scheme, which was introduced in 2007, is funded by the NTA and managed by Dublin Bus. It is free of charge and available to anyone over the age of 18. Through the scheme, people with disabilities, reduced mobility and older people can avail of assistance and practical advice on how to travel independently on journeys on bus, DART, or Luas, within the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). The scheme aims to help participants increase their confidence in using public transport whether travelling to job interviews, hospital appointments or social events. assistants assist users over multiple days and users are assisted with both the outbound and the return journeys as they can differ. The travel assistants also try out the journeys themselves, adopting methods to mirror disabilities (for example using black out glasses). In 2019 the Travel Assistance Scheme provided over 1,200 travel assists, giving customers who may require assistance the confidence to travel independently across public transport in the GDA. Travel assistants also attended 31 meetings with groups to talk about the safest way to travel by public transport. With the help of a travel assistant, a tailormade travel plan is drawn up to meet each individual customer’s needs. The travel The Travel Assistance Scheme will now be expanded beyond the GDA to the other cities. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility ### Infrastructure design *Pages 50–54* Design infrastructure according to Universal Design Principles and the Hierarchy of Road Users model GOAL 7 Goal 7 aims to support enhanced permeability and ensure that the universal design principle and Hierarchy of Road Users model is used to inform future investment decisions to reduce inequalities, support a whole of journey approach, and prioritise sustainable mobility. Sustainable mobility should serve all sectors of society, and people’s access to opportunities to work, get an education or partake in other activities should not be compromised by the design of the walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure or vehicles. Updated DMURS guidance was issued in 2020 following increased funding to local authorities to deliver improved walking and cycling infrastructure across the country, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance advised that designers should ensure that such infrastructure align with the principle of universal design. We are committed to implementing a universal design approach in the design of walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure and in the retrofitting of older infrastructure. Universal design is defined by the National Disability Authority as the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. DMURS will be updated to take account of changes in recent years and training will be provided to designers and project managers on the delivery of safe and effective designs. We will continue a joint approach between the Department of Transport and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure more widespread and consistent implementation of DMURS in the design of both new and retrofitted infrastructure. The Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) seeks to put well-designed streets at the heart of sustainable communities and supports government policy on the environment, planning and transport. DMURS is a joint initiative of the Department of Transport and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and emphasises the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to street design to ensure a holistic approach is taken. DMURS provides the practical measures to achieve: DMURS advocates the internationally recognised ‘pedestrian first’ Hierarchy of Road Users model to encourage more sustainable travel patterns ![Figure from page 50](assets/p050-f01.webp) *Figure from page 50* MHighly connected streets which allow people to walk and cycle to key destinations in a direct and easy-to-find manner. MA safe and comfortable street environment for pedestrians and cyclists of all ages. MStreets that contribute to the creation of attractive and lively communities. MStreets that calm traffic via a range of design measures that make drivers more aware of their environment. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | Walking and wheeling | | | | | | | | Cycling | | | | | | | | Public transport | | | | | | | | Taxis & shared transport | | | | | | | | | ![Figure 8: Hierarchy of Road Users model](assets/p051-f01.webp) *Figure 8: Hierarchy of Road Users model* and safer streets. This model recognises that by prioritising design for pedestrians first, the number of short journeys taken by car can be reduced and public transport made more accessible. DMURS recognises that the need for more walkable communities is also an issue of social equity as it is the poorest and most vulnerable in society, including children, older people and people with disabilities for whom car travel is less of an option. The NTA’s National Cycle Manual has guided the design of cycle infrastructure since 2011. An updated manual will be published to take account of changes to design standards and to complement the guidance in DMURS. It will also consider issues such as personal security needs which is particularly important for offroad infrastructure. Emerging personal mobility modes are another important factor to consider in the design of cycle infrastructure. In recent years there has been growth in the use of electric bikes, cargo bikes and tricycles, multiseat family cycles, plus hand cycles and adapted cycles catering for users with a range of mobility limitations. Cycling infrastructure, both old and new, should be capable of accommodating all users and bike types and infrastructure design should not unintentionally impede accessibility and dissuade greater uptake of active modes of travel. The updated manual will be complemented with a series of training sessions for relevant stakeholders. The Hierarchy of Road Users model prioritises cyclists after pedestrians. DMURS notes that trips by bicycle have the potential to replace motor vehicles as an alternative means of transport for short to medium range trips, and in some cases longer range trips. Electric bikes, which are an increasing share of the market, have been shown to extend the reach of active travel trips to longer distances17. 17 www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X21003401?via%3Dihub National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility Public transport is placed after cyclists in the road user hierarchy and should be prioritised over other motorised vehicles. By designing accessible walking and cycling infrastructure that easily connect to bus and rail options, we can support ‘first’ and ‘last-mile’ active travel journeys from public transport stops to education, workplaces, and for retail, leisure and recreational trips. We will review, develop and update existing guidelines, standards and supporting legislation, where necessary, to allow for a range of solutions to be developed for the reallocation or redesign of road space use to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport use. It is important that the Hierarchy of Road Users model is adopted, and implemented, not just for new roads and streets but is also applied retrospectively to existing roads and streets to ensure village, town and city centres across the country become much more people-centric and less dominated by the private car. Units are being established in local authorities to implement active travel schemes in accordance with best practice and national design guidance. An infrastructure audit team will also be established within the NTA to review compliance with national design guidance, including DMURS and the National Cycle Manual, and assess value for money approaches in design and construction. The aim is to update and develop guidelines and standards to better align with sustainable mobility, climate change and road safety considerations in a co-ordinated manner. This requires improved co-ordination and collaboration between the Department of Transport, other government departments, agencies such as the NTA and TII as well as local authorities. A co-ordination and oversight group has been established, involving all the main stakeholders, to support this work. This group will not only seek to address the design of infrastructure, but also its maintenance and its quality and consistency. It is also important to ensure that the right skills base is in place for urban design and transport planning, particularly in local authorities who have a key role in this area. This will be supported through the expansion of continuous professional training for key design skills and application of national standards. ![Figure from page 52](assets/p052-f01.webp) *Figure from page 52* National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility Case Study | Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes The Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes report18 was published by TII in 2020. It highlighted key insights and findings from a study to better understand women’s travel patterns and needs in an Irish context, and to inform future sustainable transport policy and design. Further measures will be put in place to support many of the policy opportunities identified in the report including initiatives that support: Ma “15 minute city” that is accessible by walking and cycling The study found that women in Ireland rely heavily on car transport and highlighted significant caregiving responsibilities, safety concerns and equality of access as drivers of this car dependency. It found a strong desire among women to use more sustainable modes of transport and identified policy opportunities to support this modal shift. Msafe cycling lanes and lessons Mbetter public transport coverage Msolutions for end-to-end mobility Mbetter real-time information Mjoined-up solutions and partnering Meffective incident reporting Msafety audits Mdesign for range of disabilities and age and health related issues By addressing the barriers that women face in the access and use of transport, we can better support the travel needs of all users and ensure that sustainable mobility is safe, accessible, reliable, convenient, comfortable and inclusive for everyone – including women, children, older people and people with disabilities. Mdiversity and inclusion through communications Mlocal neighbourhood transport needs Mintegrated approach to land use Mimproved walking and cycling infrastructure and amenities Mmulti-modal travel 18 www.tii.ie/technical-services/research/TII-Travelling-in-a-Womans-Shoes-Report_Issue.pdf National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility ### engagement *Pages 54–55* Promote sustainable mobility through research and citizen engagement GOAL 8 Goal 8 aims to improve research and citizen engagement around sustainable mobility and collaboration with other government departments, agencies and stakeholders in delivering the Policy. The secretariat will be provided by the Department of Transport and it will avail of relevant specialist expertise to guide and support delivery, including programme management, transport research and modelling, and legal expertise. Effective and timely delivery of this Policy will require strong leadership by the Department of Transport and enhanced collaboration across government, the NTA, TII, the regional assemblies, local authorities and other key stakeholders. Given the Government’s ambition for climate action and the important contribution which sustainable mobility can play, the Policy will also need to facilitate delivery and demonstrate success in terms of carbon abatement and other co-benefits. Most importantly, the Policy will require strong stakeholder buy-in, particularly from citizens who remain the central focus of this Policy. The Leadership Group will look to practical models for accelerating delivery in the transport domain, building on the innovative and collaborative experiences across the public service over the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also seek representation to support its work and bring international perspectives and a peer review discipline to its work. Leadership Group The Leadership Group will publish an annual report, utilising the data from the new annual National Household Travel Survey to detail progress against the Policy’s targets and outlining implementation progress against the actions in the action plan. A Leadership Group will be established to oversee and drive implementation of the Policy and delivery of the action plan. The group will be chaired at Assistant Secretary level within the Department of Transport and report to the Minister for Transport on a quarterly basis identifying achievements, areas for improvement, impediments and corrective actions. These reports will complement reporting processes for the wider Climate Action Plan. Pathfinder Programme Given the need to act quickly to demonstrate a pathway to achieving the ambitious climate goals set for transport, a first task of the Leadership Group will be to agree a mechanism to deliver a programme of “pathfinder” projects of scale at local level over the next 3 years. It is intended that these projects will provide a template of peoplefocused development which can be replicated and scaled up. Experimental and innovative approaches will be encouraged where they can be delivered and at pace. These projects should demonstrate their capacity to achieve carbon abatement, air quality and/or other co-benefits in line with the goals of this Policy The Leadership Group will comprise senior decision makers within the Department of Transport responsible inter alia for climate action, active travel, public transport service and investment and roads, as well as representatives from other relevant government departments, including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It will also include senior representatives from the key delivery agents named in the action plan at national, regional and local level, including the NTA, TII, the County and City Management Association and the regional assemblies. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility ### " *Pages 55–58* Stakeholder engagement This Policy impacts a wide range of stakeholders, particularly the citizen. As such it requires regular and effective engagement and interaction with these stakeholders to ensure the Policy is delivering on its goals. A new National Sustainable Mobility Forum will be convened on an annual basis to review progress. Forum will be convened on an annual basis to review progress. Representatives from across the transport and mobility sector, both providers and beneficiaries, will be invited to participate in the forum. These will include representatives from relevant transport providers (public and private) and trade unions; local authorities; advocacy groups for transport users (for example cyclists, pedestrians, disability, passenger and consumer representatives); academics; environmental interests; and regulators. National Transport Authority Advisory Council To enable the NTA to enhance its existing role in relation to the sustainable mobility sector, the authority’s remit will be expanded further, in line with the NPF commitment, to extend its transport planning functions to include all of the cities. In light of this, section 17 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 will be amended to establish a broader national level advisory council to engage with the NTA around the discharge of its functions. The National Transport Authority Advisory Council will consist of an independent chairperson and its members will include representatives from the regional assemblies, An Garda Síochána, trade unions with members working in public transport, business interests, community development interests, disability interests, environmental interests, and transport users. Public engagement and citizen “buy-in” will be key to achieving modal shift and meeting our climate targets. Engagement around the benefits of sustainable mobility and raising awareness of the availability of alternative options to the private car, particularly for shorter journeys, can help support behavioural change. A largescale impactful media campaign will form part of this engagement, acknowledging the wide variety of cohorts within the travelling public, their particular circumstances and transportation requirements. National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility Case Study | Get Ireland Walking Get Ireland Walking (GIW) is an initiative of Sport Ireland, supported by Healthy Ireland and delivered by Mountaineering Ireland. It was established in 2013 with the core aim to unify and enable the efforts of all agencies and organisations interested in promoting walking. Through the implementation of the new GIW Strategy 2022-2024 and under the ‘Theme – Environment’, GIW aims to address factors such as access, safety, connectivity, mobility, and quality of the public realm space including pathways. GIW aims to connect walkers with suitable walking environments and advocate for improved pedestrian infrastructure and recreational walking routes. and co-production with partners. GIW aims to build on local and national alliance with communities and key stakeholders to achieve shared objectives and outcomes. Community toolkits will be co-developed to assist community leaders and champions to encourage and advocate for more sustainable walking. GIW aims to identify more places and spaces conducive to walking. The new GIW strategy is committed to align national and local strategies which prioritise walking in the design of settlement patterns and the delivery of sustainable infrastructure that is safe, inviting and caters for all users of all abilities. Get Ireland Cycling is a similar initiative of Sport Ireland, Healthy Ireland and Cycling Ireland and a Get Ireland Cycling Strategy is expected to be published in 2022. GIW acknowledges a broad range of factors affect whether people choose active travel as a mode of transport and will explore solutions to address these key issues through consultation National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 2: People Focused Mobility Research support existing research programmes and draw on the expertise available across academia and industry, both in Ireland and internationally. The Policy needs to be supported by ongoing research to identify needs to inform best value for funding and investments, and provide a solid evidence base for interventions. While acknowledging the strong evidence base for existing policy work, there is a need to develop this further in the sustainable mobility and climate research space, recognising in particular that there is a vibrant and growing academic capacity available to support this. Critical areas for research include behavioural change in transport; just transition in transport; transport resilience; and the built environment. With €35 billion in infrastructure investment under the NDP, it is important that our project appraisal processes ensure future transport investments contribute to and are well aligned with meeting our climate commitments. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with support from the OECD, is reviewing the Public Spending Code to strengthen the Government’s capacity to take into consideration environmental aspects in the public investment decision making process. This will look at options for accounting for climate risk and uncertainty, and options for measuring the environmental impact of public infrastructure investment within the appraisal process. The Common Appraisal Framework for Transport Projects and Programmes (CAF) sets outs guidance for the appraisal of transport infrastructure in Ireland. It ensures scheme options are rigorously assessed, and supports the careful consideration of options before any option is approved. The CAF will be updated to take account of the most relevant and applicable evidence and methodological advances in the sustainable mobility area. The Department of Transport and its agencies are engaging in various research programmes in the area of sustainable mobility and climate with increased funding of research and a dedicated climate research function established within the department, as well as agencies’ engagement with academia and industry. There is therefore now a need to develop a transport research network which brings together those entities involved in commissioning and conducting research to strategically determine priorities to support this Policy and optimise funding accordingly. This will Note: this image is low resolution, send on the high res video file and we will extract an image as high res as we can. ## 6 ### 6 *Pages 58–59* Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility ### Introduction *Pages 59–60* How we lay out our cities, towns and villages and how we connect communities to our transport system are key factors in increasing the use of sustainable mobility. Sustainable mobility planning must be integrated at all stages of land use planning – at national, regional and local level. Better integrated land use and transport planning and transport-orientated development can help counteract dispersed settlements and organise the transport system in a way that facilitates the conversion of car trips to active travel and public transport trips. Compact communities will allow people to reach local amenities by a short walk or cycle. Higher-density urban neighbourhoods located along frequent public transport routes can facilitate longer journeys without reliance on a private car. Private vehicles are the largest emitting segment of the transport fleet. Providing meaningful alternatives to everyday car journeys, especially in our cities, is fundamental to achieving our climate objectives. In tandem to promoting more sustainable travel modes we need to lessen car kilometres driven if we are to achieve the required 51% reduction in transport emissions. This is about reducing the need to travel and reducing the distance people are required to travel through the consolidation of development. Planning policy will continue to work to address low density/ suburban sprawl, which increases the distance people must travel and ultimately can lock in car-dependent patterns of behaviour. Reducing car journeys offers many co-benefits in terms of health, reducing congestion, and facilitating more accessible and vibrant communities. align sustainable mobility services making them efficient, responsive and easy to use. Consideration will be given to how best promote the adoption of shared mobility schemes and the integration of newer modes such as electric scooters with other modes. Two high-level goals have been developed to help us deliver this principle. Better Integrated Mobility Goals 9. Better integrate land use and transport planning at all levels. 10. Promote smart and integrated mobility through innovative technologies and development of appropriate regulation. Transport is inherently complex with new problems and solutions constantly emerging. Investment in innovative technologies will National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility ### and transport planning *Pages 60–64* Better integrate land use and transport planning at all levels GOAL 9 Goal 9 aims to support compact growth and transport-orientated development through better integrated land use and transport planning. The Housing for All Plan recognises that transport infrastructure and access to public transport services are a critical enabler of new housing supply. A transport-orientated housing development approach will allow for the emergence of sustainable and well-connected communities where active travel is feasible and attractive for many localised journeys and good quality public transport is available to facilitate longer journeys into the major urban centres. Sustainable Compact Settlement Guidelines will be published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and will supersede the 2009 Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas Guidelines for Planning Authorities. The new guidelines will place a renewed emphasis on compact growth, including priorities relating to brownfield and infill development, and sustainable urban extension. Guidance on density will be tailored to reflect different types of settlement and contexts, and there will be renewed emphasis on achieving a greater intensity of uses in central locations and in close proximity to high quality public transport services. To further improve land use and transport planning to meet the NPF objective of compact growth, a working group has been established to consider opportunities for transport-orientated development in major urban areas This working group will be jointly chaired by the Department of Transport and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. While the NPF sets the national spatial and development strategy, the three regional assemblies have a key role in delivering the national strategic outcomes of the NPF at a ![Figure from page 60](assets/p060-f01.webp) *Figure from page 60* National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility ![Figure from page 61](assets/p061-f01.webp) *Figure from page 61* regional scale. Central to this are the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies as developed for each region, to promote their sustainable development and identify the policies and initiatives to enable the delivery of national planning policy at a regional level. The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies in turn set the framework for development plans at local authority level. As the three Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies are reviewed in line with the relevant statutory framework, the NTA will work with each regional assembly to provide an analysis of land use development potential based on accessibility to the core public transport network as proposed for the region for the relevant period. This analysis should identify the housing delivery areas within a 1 km distance of public transport stops with the best potential to grow. The NTA will make recommendations to each regional assembly with regard to the appropriate locations for development in the region and any supporting measures it believes are appropriate to be adopted by the regional assembly in its Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy. active travel and public transport systems and supporting amenities. This transport investment will be guided by the metropolitan area transport strategies, which have been developed, or are in development, for the five cities and which set out programmes of proposed transport investment in active travel, bus and rail for each metropolitan area over a 20-year period. This evidence based, plan-led transport planning is in line with international best practice and will allow our cities to grow in a sustainable and compact manner, as informed by the NPF and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies. The metropolitan area transport strategies are developed in line with the EU guiding principles for sustainable urban mobility plans. We recognise that the statutory basis on which the metropolitan area transport strategies are developed differs currently, with an explicit statutory basis to the transport strategy in the GDA and a specific statutory role for the NTA. Outside the GDA, the NTA develops the metropolitan area transport strategies on a nonstatutory basis in co-operation with the relevant local authorities and other agencies, including TII. In line with the commitment in the NPF, we Urban compact growth will be supported through investment in high quality integrated National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility will extend the statutory arrangements that are already in place for transport planning in the GDA to all of Ireland’s cities to strengthen the levels of integration between spatial planning and transport planning. within existing or planned communities where they are easily accessible. NIFTI sets out the framework for investment in Ireland’s transport system over the next 20 years to support the NPF. NIFTI’s investment priorities clearly set out the key areas for investment in Ireland’s transport network to address future challenges and facilitate the NPF’s national strategic outcomes. The modal and intervention hierarchies identified in NIFTI set out how we intend for the necessary infrastructure to be developed efficiently and sustainably. Outside of the cities, local transport plans for the regional growth centres and key towns will allow for local implementation of national and regional level land use and transport policies. These plans will be prepared based on the Area Based Transport Assessment Guidance produced by the NTA and TII. Both the metropolitan area transport strategies and the local transport plans are key for coordinating the delivery of multi-modal transport infrastructure and the integration of land use and transport planning at metropolitan and local level. They support the concept of 10 minute/15 minute neighbourhoods and the Town Centre First approach for the regeneration, repopulation and development of rural towns and villages. In this regard it is critical that shops, employment opportunities, local services (such as schools and health centres) and amenities are centrally located As well as ensuring that we invest in the right things and that transport planning is integrated with land use planning, it is important that transport investment is correctly sequenced. Developing a sustainable transport network and delivering compact growth are complementary objectives. Limited urban space means active travel and public transport are necessary to deliver compact growth. This is mutually reinforcing, with higher densities of people due to compact growth increasing the viability of these types of transport modes. Figure 9: Policy hierarchy and Sustainable Mobility Policy ![Figure from page 62](assets/p062-f01.webp) *Figure from page 62* National Planning Framework National Development Plan Project Ireland 2040 Our Rural Future Climate Action Sectoral Policy Sustainable Housing for All Mobility Policy Frameworks Plan Town Centre First Transport Investment Framework National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland Individual Transport Projects & Programmes Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies Local Transport Plans National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility While good transport planning is necessary to deliver spatial plans and vice versa, without careful planning, investments which help achieve certain objectives can inadvertently have a detrimental impact on others. For example, investments which have a transformative impact on interurban connectivity can lead to urban sprawl. Unintended consequences such as this can be avoided through appropriate planning and zoning, and by ensuring that transport and spatial planning are correctly ‘sequenced’ - that is, ensuring that the order in which investments are made drives the desired spatial planning outcomes. This means ensuring that development planning is coordinated and integrated across transport and other sectors. The Department of Transport, in consultation with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, will consider how transport appraisal requirements around assessing spatial and land use considerations can be strengthened in our sectoral guidance. This is likely to encompass considerations such as sequencing, parking availability and how potential adverse impacts of a given investment on the NPF’s national strategic outcomes will be mitigated. Case Study | 10-minute towns initiative The Southern Regional Assembly’s (SRA) Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) and Metropolitan Area Strategic Plans for Cork, Limerick-Shannon, and Waterford, set a vision for the Southern Region to become one of Europe’s most “Creative”, “Innovative”, “Liveable” and “Greenest” regions. for cities and towns providing the necessary empirical evidence to support funding applications for sustainable mobility initiatives and in support of local transport plans and metropolitan area transport strategies. Through Interreg Europe’s MATCH-UP Project19, the SRA with ARUP developed a “10 Minute Towns Framework20” to implement the RSES’s Regional Policy 176 “10-Minute Cities and Towns”. The concept promotes permeable mobility where access to all essential services is within a 10-minute walk/cycle or public transport connection from people’s homes with benefits including lower emissions, improved health, placemaking and quality of life. The framework provides a step-by-step methodology for local authorities to map their cities and towns, providing guidance for catchment mapping, modelling walking/cycling networks, identifying constraints and required infrastructure improvements. Local authorities can use the framework in sustainable planning The SRA continues disseminating the attributes of 10 Minute Cities and Towns, increasingly supported through city and county development plans. The SRA will host learning workshops, in association with the Department of Transport and the NTA, to increase knowledge of transport policy support, guidance tools including the 10 Minute Cities and Towns Framework and funding streams for sustainable mobility actions in 2022 in the Southern Region. 19 www.southernassembly.ie/eu-projects/MATCH-UP 20 www.southernassembly.ie/regional-planning/rses-implementation/10-minute-towns National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility ### Smart mobility *Pages 64–68* Promote smart and integrated mobility through innovative technologies and development of appropriate regulation GOAL 10 Goal 10 aims to make the use of sustainable mobility and the interchange between different modes easier through investment in smart digital solutions. Alongside better integrated land use and transport planning, technological advances in transport can enable people to move seamlessly from one mode to another and support a whole of journey approach. The focus of our sustainable mobility regulatory framework is to protect the passenger, ensure safety and enable the effective operation of sustainable mobility services and networks. This will continue to be central to how the sustainable mobility sector is operated and regulated. There is also a need to evolve and be open to new technologies and innovation which can present opportunities for better and enhanced services and offer the potential to bring positive social and environmental benefits. In line with applicable EU and Irish legislative frameworks, the NTA is the statutory regulator of public transport services, with additional statutory responsibilities across the State with regard to integrated ticketing, fares and the provision of certain bus and cycling infrastructure. In our cities, like many international cities, mobility is showing a trend towards shared mobility such as shared cars, bikes, ride-hailing and other forms of micro mobility. We already have successful examples of shared car and bike schemes in Ireland, mainly in the five cities. Shared mobility has a role to play in changing how we think about our daily travel and facilitating ![Figure from page 64](assets/p064-f01.webp) *Figure from page 64* National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility ![Figure from page 65](assets/p065-f01.webp) *Figure from page 65* that change but appropriate regulation is crucial to guarantee safety, protect our environment and ensure consumer protection. an upgraded National Journey Planner app. A governance framework will be defined by the NTA for the implementation and operation of MaaS in Ireland to encompass all transport modes nationally. In developing this framework, we need to be careful that any MaaS system does not add to urban congestion. Micro and shared mobility should complement and integrate with our public transport system, not replace it. Newer forms of mobility such as electric scooters and electric bikes have also become very popular in recent years. Alongside the introduction of legislation to permit the safe use of electric scooters, other forms of powered personal transporters, and electric bikes on public roads, the Road Safety Authority will implement specific educational measures around the use of scooters and e-scooters. With the introduction of additional operators providing bus transport services and the introduction of the 90 minute fare in the Dublin region, which allows the opportunity to transfer between services without additional cost, there is a need to better integrate customer contact centres and create a better communication arrangement for passengers. Without such integration, customers may have to engage with multiple contact centres in order to obtain information and resolve issues. It is intended to develop a consolidated customer contact centre which can deal seamlessly with all public transport customer contact issues. This will simplify customer experience and interaction by providing a single point of contact for public transport customers. The Mobility as a Service (MaaS) concept has also emerged in recent years as a tool to encourage modal shift by offering customised information and integrated transport for users. The term MaaS is often used to describe apps or digital platforms that bring a range of transport options into one place for the user, or to subscriptions which give a user access to transport for a single annual or monthly fee. A number of projects are being developed by the NTA which will lay the foundations for a MaaS system in Ireland including Next Generation Ticketing, Automated Vehicle Location and National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 3: Better Integrated Mobility Case Study | Next Generation Ticketing “Next Generation Ticketing” is one of the nine initiatives that form the overall BusConnects Programme in the five cities. An upgraded ticketing system will facilitate a variety of payment methods, including mobile phones and debit cards, and complement a simpler fare structure that removes penalties for multiple trips. Cashless, self-service ticketing will reduce time consuming interactions with drivers and help cut boarding times. Passengers won’t need a pre-purchased card or ticket to pay. They will be able to use their choice of media to tap and go making public transport easily accessible and more attractive. The ticketing equipment that is procured for BusConnects will be required to be capable of being used anywhere. It will act as a foundation to introduce modern payment methods across all modes of public transport and enable the provision of seamless integrated ticketing. Next Generation Ticketing offers a platform for any subsequent extensions into MaaS, enabling the NTA to offer a single user account from which customers can access complementary transport services such as bike and car sharing. List of Abbreviations National Sustainable Mobility Policy | List of Abbreviations ### List of Abbreviations *Pages 68–68* CAF Common Appraisal Framework for Transport Projects and Programmes CSO Central Statistics Office DMURS Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets EU European Union GDA Greater Dublin Area GHG Greenhouse gas GIW Get Ireland Walking IMMAC Infrastructure Manager Multi-Annual Contract MaaS Mobility as a Service NDP National Development Plan NHTS National Household Travel Survey NIFTI National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland NPF National Planning Framework NSO National Strategic Outcome NTA National Transport Authority NTS National Travel Survey OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PSO Public Service Obligation RSES Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy SDG Sustainable Development Goal SPSV Small Public Service Vehicle SRA Southern Regional Assembly TII Transport Infrastructure Ireland UN United Nations ### Notes *Pages 69–70*                               National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Notes ### Notes *Pages 70–72*                               ![Figure from page 72](assets/p072-f01.webp) *Figure from page 72* Department of Transport gov.ie/transport