Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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14. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has examined the merit of requiring persons to switch-off the engines of their vehicles when queuing in areas in which there are problems with air quality. [26563/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Thank you, Deputy, for asking this important question.

To address and mitigate the negative impacts of air pollution, in 2019, both of my Departments (the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications) established the multi-stakeholder Urban Transport-Related Air Pollution (UTRAP) Group. The Group’s interim report and recommendations on how best to reduce vehicle emissions in Irish towns and cities was published in March 2021 and is available to access online. The group’s final report is currently at an advanced stage of preparation and is expected to be published in the second half of this year.

At a national level, my Department is responsible for the legislative basis and for developing supporting guidelines and policy in regard to traffic matters and to reducing carbon emissions from transport. Under current traffic legislation (S.I. No. 190/1963 - Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles Regulations, 1963, Section 87(1)(a)) it is illegal to leave a vehicle idling while unattended.  

My Department is also considering how best to address the threat to health posed by vehicles in the vicinity of schools, including vehicle emissions, as part of a wider approach to improving road safety and sustainability. Action 177 of the current Road Safety Strategy pledges to roll out the existing 'Safe Routes to Schools' programme to in excess of 500 schools by the end of 2024. This programme is specifically designed to reduce car dependence by encouraging children to take active modes of travel to school, facilitated by the provision of safe, protected infrastructure and ‘front of school’ treatments designed to ensure greater pupil safety. This programme is complemented by Green-Schools Clean Air Week, which took place for a third year from 15–19 November 2021, and which focused on raising awareness of how active travel can reduce air pollution at the school gate.

My Department has also looked at ways of reducing idling and emissions from high-emitting sectors, such as the heavy-duty vehicle sector, which includes buses, trucks, and coaches. In this sector, engine shut-off systems are available in the market that can be fitted to vehicles (e.g. buses) that engage when vehicles have been left idling for a specified period and that automatically turn off the engines. Most of the PSO bus fleet currently in operation in our cities and towns have these shut-off systems. Additionally, my Department also encourages professional drivers to avoid unnecessary engine idling time through the Road Safety Authority’s Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) training.