Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members for their contributions. It is clear we are all committed to improving and increasing sustainable mobility throughout the country.

Transport is central to Ireland's decarbonisation efforts. In 2020, road transport alone accounted for 94% of transport emissions. Road transport also contributes to increased levels of noise, collisions, congestion and pollutants that can have a negative impact on people's health and the environment. To garner permanent reductions in our emissions, we must make changes in our everyday life towards sustainable behaviours. The Government has committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland to reduce our carbon emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. As the Minister outlined, we are putting in place the infrastructure, services and structures to reduce car dependency and implement a major shift towards sustainable mobility. We are taking action now that will pay dividends in future years.

Our commitment is evident in the national planning framework, the climate action plan and the national sustainable mobility policy. It is also backed up by the funding allocated under the national development plan, NDP. The unprecedented funding for transport under the NDP will enable significant investment in walking, cycling, bus and rail infrastructure and will expand sustainable mobility options in our cities, towns and villages. We are already seeing evidence of this investment throughout the country. NDP funding will support the commencement of major public transport projects of BusConnects in our five cities, and DART+ and MetroLink in Dublin, along with increased investment in the interurban and regional rail network. This will be complemented by an expansion of public transport services, including in rural and regional areas, under the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.

The Government is strongly committed to funding active travel infrastructure to provide more walking and cycling facilities to increase people's green travel options. According to the Central Statistics Office, almost 30% of trips are less than 2 km of which 57% are made by car. The significant investment in active travel infrastructure over the next three years will enable more of these, and some longer journeys, to be made by walking and cycling. Improving our walking, cycling and public transport options can also deliver social change. Everybody should be able to use active travel and public transport regardless of their ability or background. Sustainable transport modes are not only the most environmentally friendly options; they are also the most economically accessible and socially inclusive. They are a key part of a just transition towards meeting our climate goals and they will help us meet our targets in a fair manner.

The goal of the Minister for Transport is to increase the number of sustainable mobility options available to all our citizens. Where possible, he is incentivising public transport through investment in new services and infrastructure as well as by reducing the fare structures. In recognition that it is not always possible to provide public transport, especially in remote areas, there is also a complementary suite of incentives to electrify private transport, such as the electric vehicle purchase grant and the domestic charger grant scheme.

Alongside the climate action plan, the new sustainable mobility policy is central to ensuring we meet our ambitious climate targets. The actions under the new policy provide an opportunity to change our daily travel choices by making it easier and more attractive for people to make fewer private car journeys and to use walking, cycling and public transport, where possible. The Department of Transport listened closely to stakeholders in developing the policy and action plan to ensure we are focusing on the right measures.

We have the right plans and policies in place and our focus now is to accelerate delivery. Key to this delivery is the new leadership group led by the Department of Transport in collaboration with the NTA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, local authorities and regional assemblies. This group will work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to drive the implementation of programmes, such as BusConnects in the five cities, the connecting Ireland rural mobility plan and other key active travel and public transport projects.

As the Minister outlined, the first task of this group is to agree a mechanism to deliver a programme of pathfinder projects of scale at local level over the next three years. The group is already working to identify a programme of projects that will provide a template of people-focused development that can be replicated and scaled up. Drawing on the experiences of collaboration across the public service during the Covid-19 pandemic, experimental and innovative approaches are being encouraged where they can be delivered and at pace. These projects will demonstrate their capacity to achieve carbon abatement and other important co-benefits in line with the policy’s goals.

The next iteration of the Climate Action Plan this year will be based on legally binding sectoral emission ceilings, including for transport. The first carbon budget to 2025 is likely to be particularly challenging for the transport sector, as embedded behavioural change elements are more difficult to achieve in the shorter time horizon. It will be important to demonstrate the types of project and initiative that can deliver a lower carbon future for transport. For this reason, the pathfinder programme is intended to offer a pathway and a vision of sustainable mobility in practice, which can act as a catalyst for the wider changes required across society and be replicated at national level.

Through continued collaboration with our stakeholders at national, regional and local levels, we can implement real change and make sustainable mobility the preferred option for as many people as possible. I thank the House for giving me the opportunity to speak on this issue.

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