Dr. James Casey:

That is a great question and something just recently ILMI and even the DPO Network we just chatted about have been heavily involved in. I was at the Sustainable Mobility Forum in Athlone recently, which was opened by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I listened to a plethora of stuff. The DPO Network was here, as was ILMI, talking about disabled people and climate change. A lot of the time, up to this point, we have not been seen as part of this discussion, but we are. We are actively part of it. Sustainable and active travel is a huge thing which we need to be part of. We were at the recent national sustainable travel forum in Croke Park. One thing I took from that and the feedback I gave was that there must be a DPO presence at those events. There were dedicated individuals but for example, I cannot speak for somebody who is visually impaired, neurodiverse or deaf because I am not. I know who I can talk to who can. As a representer of organisations, you can gather that consensus and bring it in. For instance, regarding active travel, there is the national cycling manual, which we just did the last time. Take the example of greenways. There will be more of them, and they are very important. They should be done properly in the first place. There must be consultation, and it should not just be piecemeal in nature. It also comes back to DPOs being involved from the outset and having those spaces. We are the ones with the methodology, the experience and the channels - we can consult a large number of people, which would feed into better policy and a better society. For instance, greenways, cycle paths, etc., should be modelled on those in countries where such infrastructure is planned.

I spent much time in a city in Finland called Oulu and they have amazing cycle paths. Anyone who is into cycling will have heard of it. It is amazing. These spaces are for everybody. Everyone shares them, including walkers, people with mobility issues, old people and parents. As regards what could possibly be done, regardless of planning, there needs to be a little more awareness about who has use of cycle paths because if some lad in Lycra comes flying along, it is not easy to move out of the way.

This goes back not only to active travel but the also the sustainable development goals in which Ireland plays a role. We are a member of Coalition 2030. It is important that disabled people are at that table as well. All 17 of the sustainable development goals, which include travel, climate change and water, affect disabled people. Therefore, having us at the table is important. It goes back again to what we in the DPO Network were saying. We need to be at hearings of Oireachtas committees, whether in the area of transport, environment, employment or education, because all these issues affect us. Active travel affects us. We can bring something to the table. For instance, floating bus stops can be a death trap for some people but that was not tagged in the beginning. It comes back to consultation. Active travel is a good thing, and 99% of climate action is good. We have to do it. There is no question about it. Instead of pedestrianising some streets, why not pedestrianise all of them and have public transport going into them? Make it for the pleasure and accessibility of everyone rather than the pleasure of a few. These are issues on which we have to act. I go back to it again. When it comes to these issues and stuff, there is always an angry focus on disabled people as if we are almost an energy burden or we are not part of the discourse. That is not true. We will give solutions which will be benefit society as well.