Mr. Conn Donovan:

I thank the committee for inviting me to speak today. If a drug was developed that lowered the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 40%, governments across the world would rush to ensure their citizens had access to it. This drug already exists, albeit not in pharmaceutical form. It is called cycling to work. Equally, if a technology was developed that lowered the average person’s transport carbon footprint by 67%, it would be seen as a game-changer. This technology already exists. When people choose a bike instead of a car, even one day a week, they can achieve a significant reduction in their carbon footprint. Improved public health and lower transport carbon emissions are just two compelling reasons it makes sense for central and local government to promote cycling as a form of everyday transport.

Several pervasive narratives in Ireland suggest that cycling is not a realistic transport option for people. We often hear that our climate is too wet, that our cities sprawl too far or that cycling is just not part of our culture. The reality is that Dublin has comparable weather to Copenhagen, two out of three primary school children live within 2 km of their school and 84% of residents in Dublin support building more physically-separated, on-road cycle tracks. There are two main reasons more people tend not to cycle in Ireland. They do not think cycling is safe and driving is often very convenient. Government can address these issues using carrots and sticks. The carrots include the provision of safe cycling routes, high-quality bike parking and compact neighbourhoods, while the sticks include transport plans that limit unfettered vehicular access in urban areas, increase parking charges and reallocate road space.

Transport-oriented development, TOD, helps to create vibrant, liveable and sustainable communities. Government should prioritise TOD ahead of low-density greenfield development insofar as possible in the coming years. We must, however, appreciate what TOD would mean for cycling in Ireland. It would lead to the development of small urban areas where it may be safer and more attractive to cycle. These would be in or near larger urban areas where it is often not safe to cycle and more attractive to drive, and therefore the adoption of TOD development must not be seen as a silver bullet for the promotion of active travel, but rather one piece of the puzzle in helping to achieve modal shifts.

The Merwede district in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands offers a good example of what TOD can look like. This new neighbourhood will eventually be home to 20,000 people, but the entire new road network for this development will consist of just 60 m of roads, or four short dead ends. Parking will be limited to one car for every three households. Small electric vehicles will carry out waste management and deliveries, and urban spaces and the public realm will be quiet and car-free, with an emphasis on biodiversity and place-making. Perhaps Merwede's greatest asset is that it will be in the city of Utrecht, where cycling policies and investment over several decades have made the bicycle a popular transport option. The Merwede piece of the puzzle therefore fits in nicely with the existing picture in that city.

In Ireland, we must be careful to ensure that TOD is not used as a Trojan horse to justify building more roads and thus locking Irish society further into car dependency. The docklands development in Cork city will eventually be home to 25,000 people and there is a target that 70% to 80% of local trips will be taken on foot, by bike, or by public transport. Last year, Cork City Council approved plans to build a new dual carriageway in the docklands. In its submission to the public consultation regarding this proposed dual-carriageway, Cork Chamber of Commerce noted that "a new high-capacity multi-lane provision for cars is not in keeping with the national and regional commitment to high density, low car and compact growth".

Last month, funding was provided to 26 towns to deliver town centre first plans. In 12 of these 26 towns, not one girl aged between 13 and 18 cycled to school, according to data from the Central Statistics Office. These towns are not outliers. In 2016, no teenage girls cycled to school in more than 120 towns with populations greater than 1,500 people. In 1986, more than 19,000 girls cycled to secondary school, but by 2016 this number had fallen to 700. Teenage girls cycling to school face challenges above and beyond poor infrastructure, but they are a well-researched group and may be considered an indicator species for how inviting it is to cycle in a town. Town centre first plans and policy ought to be compared and contrasted in the coming months with the healthy streets approach of Transport for London, TfL. The healthy streets for London policy seeks to make that city's communities greener, healthier and more attractive. Economic analysis collated by TfL has demonstrated that high streets in which it has been made safer to walk and cycle are also more economically viable and vibrant. Specifically, these streets enjoy higher retail spends, lower retail vacancy, and increases in people stopping, sitting or socialising.

Specifically, these towns enjoy higher retail spends, lower retail vacancy and an increase in the number of people sitting, stopping and socialising. It is imperative that Town Centre First plans in Ireland seek to make walking and cycling a more attractive option for people living locally.

Last December, the committee had an extensive discussion on the ways to incentivise urban living and bring derelict properties back to life. The town centres living initiatives synthesis report noted that the public realm in Ireland is dominated by cars and there is a perception that streets are not safe for children. When we are designing the master plan for a large brownfield site or adopting policies to bring existing buildings back into use, we must consider whether it will be a healthy place to live.

We know that when urban areas are dominated by cars, communities suffer. Less social interaction, increased risk of death and disease, sleep disturbance and developmental delays in children have all been associated with living near busy roads. Urban areas in Ireland need to be healthy and attractive places to live. To ensure this, significant modal shifts away from private cars and in favour of walking, cycling, light mobility and public transport must be realised. I thank the Chair.