Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Department of Transport has responsibility for the provision of funding and setting of policy on transport issues, including active travel. The National Transport Authority has responsibility for the allocation of funding to projects at local authority level and works with the local authorities to ensure delivery of same.

The Deputy will be aware that a significant increase in funding has been allocated to walking and cycling infrastructure projects in recent years, following a commitment of approximately €360 million per annum in the programme for Government across this Government's lifetime. The NTA's active travel programme receives most of this funding each year, with around €290 million allocated through that agency across all local authorities in 2024. The years 2022 and 2023 saw full allocation spend by local authorities, with €310 million and €340 million, respectively, invested in active travel. This was only made possible through the increase in the capacity of local authorities through the provision of funding for dedicated active travel staffing by the Department of Transport.

A consequence of the recent success of the programme is that there is a huge pipeline of projects to be funded, including a significant number reaching the aforementioned high-cost construction stage. As such, the programme is moving into a so-called project prioritisation stage, whereby funding will be allocated to projects which should see the greatest impact in terms of modal shift away from private car use. The process of identifying such projects is undertaken by the NTA in collaboration with the relevant local authorities.

Walking and cycling projects are funded across the Cork City Council area through allocations from the NTA's active travel infrastructure programme. As with all local authorities, funding allocation is based on demand, user need and project phase. Typically, projects at an early stage in development, such as concept development, will have a lower allocation need than projects that are at or approaching construction phase.

To get down to the nub of the Deputy's question, Cork City Council has received funding allocation of just over €29 million this year, of which €950,000 has been allocated to the Lehenaghmore improvement scheme. Cork City Council plans to carry out a road widening and enhancement project to serve the needs of residents and businesses in the Lehenaghmore and Togher area of Cork city. The project aims to upgrade the L2455 and L2454 roads. The scheme will provide road enhancements consistent with the urban nature of the area and the evolving transport demands of its residents and employment centres. The Lehenaghmore Road active travel improvement scheme overall is approximately 2.6 km in length. The proposed works will include road realignment, road widening, signalisation of the Forge Hill junction, a new mini roundabout at Barrett's junction, with associated pedestrian crossing, public transport shelters and bays, new footpath construction, new cycle facility construction, road reconstruction and resurfacing, services diversions, a new surface water drainage system, new road lighting, new boundary treatments, retaining walls, embankments, accommodation works, new hard and soft landscaping, new road signage and street furniture. It is quite a big project.

A 4 m-wide pedestrian and cycle bridge is proposed on the outbound-eastern side of the old Bandon railway bridge.

The new bridge will run parallel to the existing stone bridge, but it will not impact on the existing bridge. In addition, the proposed development has been screened to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is required, and it has been concluded that there will be no real likelihood of significant effects on the environment arising from the proposed development and an environmental impact assessment is not required. Cork City Council accepts these findings.

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