8.2 Transport Strategy
8.2 Transport Strategy
Transport demand is determined on the basis of the distribution of population, employment, education and all other socio-economic and cultural uses.
Trends within the Region indicate that there is an overreliance on the private car for travel to work and education. Approximately 46% of Dublin’s population commute by private car while approximately 65% and 69% of the populations of the Eastern and Midland SPAs respectively travel by this mode. In tandem with this a 2017 DTTAS paper58 estimated that congestion in the Dublin area was costing the economy over €350m per year by 2012, in terms of lost time, and that this would grow to more than €2bn by 2033.
Transport can affect health and wellbeing both directly, for example through traffic accidents, commuter stress, or accessibility to employment and health services and indirectly, for example through higher rates of diseases and ill health as a result of pollution or sedentary lifestyles. Increasing traffic is a health hazard that predominantly effects the more socially disadvantaged and deprived. In contrast the provision of good public transport, greenways and cycleways can enhance areas, contributing to liveable places and creating opportunities to be physically active. There is a need to overcome barriers to better mobility be they political, economic or physical such as poverty, disability, affordability or gender.
This congestion impacts on the Region’s commuters, public transport and the efficient movement of goods and services to, from and within the Region. The challenge facing the EMRA is a shift towards alternatives to the private car and promoting greater efficiency in the use of our transport networks. As such, it is of fundamental importance that this distribution of activity is planned in a manner which reduces the impact of the need to travel, on people’s lives.
Figure from page 184
Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
Figure from page 184
Transport as a sector is one of the significant contributors to our national Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and as a nation we need to act on climate change and adapt and mitigate all sectors accordingly. The need to transition to a low carbon society by reducing transport usage and transitions to lower carbon options, including transition to clean renewables is a key aspect of Ireland’s response to climate change. Transition to a low carbon transport system is firstly about reducing the need for travel and then shifting to economically efficient modes, i.e. active travel modes and public transport. Transitioning existing fossil fuel vehicles to clean renewable vehicles is a vital further step.
The design of buildings and streets and the creation of compact sustainable towns where citizens can have a good quality of life is key to the provision and promotion of sustainable travel choice. Places that are typified by poor connectivity and lower residential and employment densities are characterised by lower rates of walking and cycling and a significantly higher rate of private car travel than their denser counterparts. There is a need to ensure alternatives to the car in the design of streets and public spaces prioritise cycling and walking as active transport modes.
The objective of transport investment is, therefore, to contribute to economic, social and cultural progress of the Region, and the protection and enhancement of the environment, in line with Government priorities in other sectors. The success of transport planning in meeting society’s needs requires close integration of transport investment and land use planning, to guide the direction of future development within the Region.
Policy measures outlined in this chapter have been prepared with regard to the National Climate Change Mitigation Plan and DTTAS’s first adaptation plan for the transport sector, Developing Resilience to Climate Change in the Irish Transport Sector. For additional policies with respect to transport and climate change refer to Chapter 10 Infrastructure and Chapter 7 Environment.
The Strategy aims to provide a spatial framework to promote smart compact growth as an alternative to continued periurban sprawl around our cities and towns, with a resultant negative impact on the environment and people’s health and wellbeing due to increased commuting and loss of family and leisure time. In the Region the trend is for large scale urban growth in the suburbs and peri-urban areas around Dublin and large towns, resulting in increased length of trips facilitated by the dominance of the private motor car. There is significant evidence linking the experience of sprawl and long-distance commuting with poor health outcomes and impacts on employee productivity and absenteeism.
Figure from page 185
Connectivity
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