John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Windisch for her comments. I have found this discussion very interesting because my interest in the climate action and climate side of things is in sustainable transport.

My first question is for Dr. Sloman and relates to cycle superhighways. I have experience of them, having used one in London a number of years ago when I cycled from Barking to the city centre. Having done a bit of research on the subject, it is clear that for distances that are longer than a certain number of kilometres, 20% of commuter journeys are made by bicycle. There is potential in making super cycleways as friendly and enjoyable as possible so that people start using them. That said, while they work in London and other large cities, how do we create sustainable super cycleways in large provincial towns like the one I come from, which has approximately 40,000 people? Do we use them to link large provincial towns to one another? How would they work in settings outside of a massive capital city like London?

My second question is also for Dr. Sloman and relates to her fourth point about the eco levy in London. I get its concept and that the money raised from the levy is ring-fenced for good projects that can benefit people, for example, a warmer homes scheme. Who has the decision on how that money is spent? Does it go to the British Government, which then allocates it as it sees fit, or is it ring-fenced to what would be described in Ireland as a local authority? Does the mayor of London decide how it is spent or does Downing Street allocate it throughout the country?

My final question is for Dr. Windisch. What has been the major barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles?