John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1215. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the sources for his Department's information on congestion times in Dublin; the way in which this information is arrived at and compiled; and if he is satisfied that this information is accurate. [15122/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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In 2017, my Department undertook a research project to estimate the cost of ‘aggravated congestion’ across Ireland’s transport system, and it also presented an estimate of the annual value of time lost to road users due to aggravated congestion in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). The study was carried out in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Dublin City Council (DCC), with particular support from the NTA’s modelling team in producing the modelled outputs.

The study utilised data from a variety of sources - including Census data on travel to work, NTA travel surveys for the GDA, car ownership data, and CSO statistics on small area population - to estimate activity and operation on the transport network. The data was used to model for both a base year (2012) and a future year, 2033, to project the future cost of aggravated congestion. The 2033 scenario modelled the 2017 traffic network and utilised population and macroeconomic forecasts to estimate likely travel demand. 

I understand that the analysis was conducted utilising the Eastern Regional Transport Model (ERM) which is managed and operated by the NTA. The ERM includes all of the main surface modes of travel, including travel by car, bus, rail, heavy goods vehicles, walking and cycling, and the ERM output can show location, time of day, and travel model. Each of the data sources used in the NTA's ERM to estimate and forecast of travel in Dublin are updated periodically, to allow it to remain up-to-date with respect to travel demand, population characteristics and wider economic conditions.

The Deputy may be aware that there are some other useful data studies/surveys carried out annually by Dublin City Council, in conjunction with the NTA, to monitor traffic crossing the canals, however, this only informs on travel patterns and mode share.