Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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73. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when he will publish the study to assess incentives to encourage greater use of active travel as a mode of transport, including an assessment of international best practice, as committed to under action 45 of the Sustainable Mobility Policy. [8201/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to Active Travel.

The National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP) was published in April 2022, and sets out a strategic framework to 2030 for active travel (walking and cycling) and public transport journeys to help Ireland meet its climate obligations. It is accompanied by an action plan to 2025 which contains actions to improve and expand sustainable mobility options across the country by providing safe, green, accessible and efficient alternatives to car journeys. It also includes demand management and behavioural change measures to manage daily travel demand more efficiently and to reduce the journeys taken by private car.

To date, most Government investment in Active Travel has been through the provision of safe and connected walking and cycling infrastructure through the National Transport Authority’s (NTA’s) Active Travel Programme, along with some small behavioural change programmes such as Green Schools Travel, CycleRight cycle training and the Smarter Travel Workplaces and Campuses programme. Direct financial incentives to encourage active travel have, however, been limited to increases in thresholds under the Bike-to-Work scheme to encourage purchase of e-bikes and cargo bikes/e-bikes.

While the introduction of an increase in the Bike-to-Work scheme thresholds in recent Budgets is welcomed, it is noted that such an incentive does target a specific cohort of the population and is not universally available.

With regard to Action 45 of the SMP, incentives to encourage greater use of active travel as a mode of transport, an assessment of measures which have been successfully implemented in other countries and are universally available was undertaken by my Department with a view to submitting for consideration as part of the annual Estimates process. This assessment was not intended for publication.

My Department will continue to undertake research into potential additional measures which could be introduced to promote modal shift away from private car use across all demographics going forward.