Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of funding allocated specifically to meet objectives and targets in the sustainable travel and cycling documents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28558/09]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will confirm that the cost of implementing the national cycle policy framework will be €2.3 billion; the timeframe for the allocation of the €2.3 billion; the number of years it will take to fully implement the NCPF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28397/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 30 together.

Smarter Travel, A Sustainable Transport for Ireland, sets out a range of actions across all areas of Government to deliver a sustainable transport system by the year 2020. The Policy has ambitious targets, including a reduction in car commuting from 65% share in 2006 to 45% in 2020. It also sets out specific ambition in other areas. For example, it affirms the Government's commitment to have 10% market penetration for electric vehicles by 2020.

The estimated cost of implementing the policy is approx €4.5 billion. The allocation of such funding will obviously depend on the prevailing economic climate and, in the present circumstances, the focus will be on making progress from existing resources.

The National Cycle Policy Framework has emerged from the new Smarter Travel policy and the estimated cost of €2.3 billion is covered in the overall estimate referred to above. The key ambition under NCPF is an increase in the modal share enjoyed by cycling from its current level of around 2% to 10%. I believe that this is an ambitious, yet achievable, target within the action period of 12 years.

I am pleased to say that, given the constrained economic circumstances, good progress is being made in implementing both policies.

I have made a total of €14 million available to my Department for the promotion and implementation of sustainable travel and transport initiatives in 2009. This is a significant increase on a budget allocation of €3 million in 2008.

The following are key initiatives progressed under the new agenda. These are in addition to other investments under Transport 21, such as integrated ticketing and improvements to public transport, which will also contribute to sustainable travel. · Support for demand measures such as the Green Schools Travel initiative and workplace travel planning. By September this year, 140,000 schoolchildren will have been reached, resulting in a 18% drop in car use. The workplace travel planning initiative has reached 46 companies so far and is meeting with similar success. I aim to launch a national initiative on workplace travel planning in the near future · Support for demonstration sustainable travel projects. My Department has advertised for submissions for schemes and the closing date for proposals is 7th September. · Support for exemplary cycling projects. When I launched the National Cycle Policy Framework recently, I specifically referred to the availability of €3 million in 2009 for the provision of cycling infrastructure in the Dublin region. The projects that I envisage will be progressed this year by Dublin City Council include development of premium cycle routes (from Portobello to the Liffey via the Grand Canal and from the North Quays towards Fairview Park (to include part of the Sutton to Sandycove route); refurbishment of existing cycle lanes; and the provision of both additional permanent cycle parking in the city and mobile cycle parking facilities to service public events. I am also extending support for exemplary projects in other parts of the country and I recently announced schemes in Galway City. · Support for awareness initiatives. I have already put two new websites in place to provide information on the new policies. I have also launched Ireland's first National Bike Week 2009, which ran successfully from 14th to the 21st June, and I am committed to running this as an annual event.

In all, progress is being made on most of the actions in the new Smarter Travel policy and I hope to deliver further initiatives this year. I would re-iterate that both policies offer a long-term vision that stretches from 2009 to 2020.

The wide-ranging nature of the individual interventions, their interlinked nature, and the undeniable challenges that face us in terms of availability of resources, means that it would not, however, be productive, at this stage, to assign precise deadlines to each action.

Delivery of the vision involves not only the provision of excellent infrastructure, but also requires a change in the national mindset. I am satisfied that sufficient funding is available this year to commence the process of changing the public perception and also to enable progress on key initiatives.