Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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146. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his position on the role of public consultations in the development of community active travel projects. [63313/25]

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. Funding is administered through the National Transport Authority (NTA), who, in partnership with local authorities, have responsibility for the selection and development of specific projects in each local authority area. I recognise that public consultation and engagement are key to the successful development of community active travel projects.

Department of Transport funded projects are subject to statutory and non-statutory public consultations. My Department is working with local authorities in order to create an environment whereby there will be greater levels of community engagement at early stages of infrastructure projects in order to enhance public support for these important projects, without which they will not have the desired impact in terms of modal shift and emissions reduction.

In addition, the upcoming Moving Together Strategy (2026–2030) outlines a comprehensive framework for embedding public engagement into transport planning and delivery, with a strong emphasis on co-creation, inclusivity, and local decision-making.

A key initiative supporting this is the Sustainable Mobility Academy (SMA), launched at the 2024 National Sustainable Mobility Forum. The SMA is designed to:

• Train and upskill staff in local authorities and transport bodies in best-practice public engagement and consultation methods.
• Provide on-demand modules, site visits and toolkits to support effective community engagement.
• Serve as a knowledge-sharing platform for professionals across government, academia, and the private sector.
• Disseminate case studies and evidence-based guidance to support behavioural change and demand management at the local level.