Ms Eimear Fox:

There was a lot in the Deputy's contribution. The design of the physical environment around our cycle paths and public transport is important so that people can safely drive a pram with shopping on one side of it and a toddler on the other. We must have the space to facilitate that kind of movement, which is different from the movement of an individual who is commuting. That is vital. It is one of the areas at which we are looking. Small details are important. For example, if a bench is installed, there must be space beside it for a pram to be parked while a person is waiting for public transport.

The Deputy also asked about cycling. Part of the study showed that if we can encourage young children to cycle from an early age and they get that independence, those patterns can be set. It is important that we look at short journeys when children go from home to school or from school to the local football pitch. We must make those short journeys as safe as possible for children because that will establish a pattern.

How boys and girls use cycle paths is interesting. One of the things we are looking to find out from the survey data we are collecting for Luas Finglas is whether girls move together as a group. Do we need to have certain areas with wider cycle paths coming up to schools so that people can cycle two or three abreast? The separation element is also critical for very young children. All of those physical elements can help encourage those kinds of movements and that is the aim of our design process.