Generators of Demand (Retail, Industry, and Freight)

Recommendation 23: Sporting organisations will encourage less car travel to sports fixtures and training sessions in collaboration with local communities.

continue to be a challenge in meeting extra demand. Therefore, a phased implementation of the review’s recommendations commenced in September 2024. Planned pilot projects in the 2024/2025 school years will provide valuable insight on the impact on the scheme of increased demand, the possibilities to integrate public transport services with school transport services and the possibilities to facilitate more sustainable modes of transport. The findings from the evaluation will guide the planning and implementation needed for a national rollout of a revised School Transport Scheme. Implementation of the recommendations will continue to be planned, subject to resources being available to meet the increased demand. Recommendations with a focus on the education sector are defined as follows:

Sustainable Transport for Schools

It is clear from discussions above that support measures are needed to expand the School Transport Scheme (STS) and to continue to progress the Safe Routes to School Programme.

Throughout the review, the value of the School Transport Scheme to both families and in supporting wider Government policies has been very apparent. In summary, school transport not only plays an important part in supporting children’s access to education, but it also aligns with wider Government objectives, including supporting climate action targets, supporting working parents and the labour market, supporting families to live and work in rural Ireland and teaching life skills for children.

Recommendation 22: Increase sustainable mobility supports for primary and secondary school-going children

Generators of Demand (Retail, Industry, and Freight)

As referenced above, the School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published. Arising from the recommendations in the review, it is projected that access to the School Transport Scheme will be expanded so that an additional 100,000 pupils (over 2024 levels) can be carried by 2030. It is clear that if achieved, the overall way forward recommended in the review to decrease car journeys to school and get more children and young people to access school via public transport and safe cycling and walking routes, if achieved will bring enormous benefits to local communities.

Introduction

Ireland’s domestic and international freight sector is an integral part of the economy. Most domestic freight movements take place by road whilst international movements (including those between Northern Ireland and Ireland) include more significant multimodal elements covering road, air, sea and rail freight. The freight sector has faced many overlapping challenges in recent years including Brexit, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. These challenges have highlighted the importance of the freight sector and have also demonstrated how complex international supply chains have become. This underlines the importance of all stakeholders working together – industry, Government and international partners - to ensure the resilience of Ireland’s supply chains.

The proposed changes to eligibility criteria as set out in the recommendations in the review are expected to expand the numbers of students availing of transport, reducing reliance on individual car journeys to access education.

Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the Scheme concern:

ᴏ expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges charges and grants

The significance of the need for a sustainable freight system cannot be underestimated, and, as the economy grows, demand for goods and the requirement for bulk movement continues to grow in Ireland. This growth puts strain on the people, infrastructure and businesses operating in

ᴏ over time, moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure optimum value for money to the Exchequer.

It is recognised that resources including contractor supply of vehicles and drivers would

the freight, haulage, logistics and transportation sector. There is a need to assess how this growth and demand can be best managed and supported by Government, industry, and the public.

and infrastructure planning would be beneficial. Further consideration of rail access to ports will be summarised within local implementation considerations.

Modelling future demand for freight to a greater level of specificity is key to understanding future constraints to capacity and investment priorities. Demand modelling is currently undertaken across rail, roads, ports and land use and given the essential nature of freight, should be interfaced to provide a multimodal perspective of future demand.

Additionally, the need for a certain level of infrastructure provision was required to encourage hauliers to move to alternative fuels. In particular, the need for a critical mass of electric charging infrastructure and alternative fuel supply infrastructure was emphasised. Tied to the need for infrastructure provision was the need for subsidies. Feedback from the group on the availability and level of subsidies available for a number of freight-industry related items – particularly drivetrain transition and alternative fuels – was that these are insufficient. Moving forward, more accurate subsidy setting will increase uptake, drive change and deliver the policy outcomes necessary while limiting financial deadweight.

This sub-group considered the impact and management of goods demand on haulage and road freight and associated aspects of the wider transportation system, and how we may best collectively work to support growth while reducing the environmental impact in a sustainable way.

Measures Considered

Discussions related to modal shift focused on two main areas: large scale bulk movements and disaggregated light movements. Bulk movement such as construction materials, quarried aggregates etc. are dominant by tonnes per kilometre (TKM). However, light vehicle fleet numbers and kms travelled have increased significantly over the past decade. Bulk movements internationally arrive or leave the island of Ireland via its ports. Support was given to the development of port facilities, including the additional space allowances and the potential extension of rail links as indicated within the All- Island Strategic Rail Review, and Iarnród Éireann Rail Freight Strategy. While it was anticipated that bulk movements will continue to be via HDVs in the main with a focus on developing these movements on the TEN-T network, positive sentiment was held towards the continued development of rail freight where possible. It was noted also that the benefits of the ongoing National Roads 2040 Strategy will accrue in part to the alleviation of congestion for road freight haulage. Continued investment in infrastructure to support freight haulage is necessary to ensure that the growth demands of road freight do not exceed the constraints of the road network.

When considering measures, the sub-group grouped them into national, regional and local measures. Measures implemented at a national scale include those related to policy, centrally administered subsidies, industry standards and certification, cross-industry engagement, large infrastructure interventions and measures related to the interface between national and international interests such as port administration requirements. Regional measures included regional infrastructure networks and hubs, county level and regional economic planning forums, hinterland access networks, and sub-national consolidation programmes. Local measures discussed related to implementation and included micro consolidation, load sharing, access control and emissions zones, local land use planning and urban multimodality.

National Measures

Planning and the delivery of infrastructure were identified as being essential to the sustainable movement of goods around Ireland. The subgroup felt that the freight sector is an afterthought when it comes to the delivery of new land-use policies and that going forward the needs of the sector must be incorporated more completely into policy planning. Particularly, integrated planning both between ports (regarding forward balance planning), industry forecasting and signalling for hauliers and also in terms of hinterland access

Smaller, disaggregated goods delivered via LDVs and vans in urban areas are considered to be a separate and different challenge. It was noted that, in many cases, breaking bulk loads into smaller vehicles can increase vehicle kilometres travelled

Regional Measures

by up to 16-fold. Additional implementation considerations for consolidation hubs included feedback on the reality of collaboration across commercial delivery entities. In this case, focus was given to creating partnership agreements including government partners. National level measures also included support and pathfinding projects for urban mode shift including loadsharing hubs facilitated via public transport operators and subsidies for active mode systems such as cargo bikes. Specific discussions were had about the role of consignor liability and procurement standards, and what role liability has in procurement relationships between demand generators and hauliers. Sustainable procurement measures should include the consideration by representatives such as the Office of Government Procurement to set a baseline of consignor liability expectations and potentially to legislate minimum safety and sustainability practices associated with consignor liability and related practices.

Measures practically implemented at a regional scale held valid aspects of national considerations also, but received specific feedback relating to the delivery of interventions at sub-national levels.

Such measures included logistical planning for large-scale infrastructure investments, delegated autonomy from national policy for regional policy implementation, and port access and hinterland infrastructure access.

The sub-group noted the potential benefit of utilising city coordination policies for large scale infrastructure programmes, helping to identify, coordinate, and optimise the movement of construction-related movements for urban and large regional projects. Such policies have been employed effectively in the City of Sydney for Sydney Metro and during London 2012’s Olympic development. It was indicated that Dublin and Cork could benefit from such policies during Metrolink and potential Light Rail projects in the future.

The benefit of engagement and collaboration between the Department, TII and NTA was highlighted particularly on the multifaceted agenda of decarbonisation and demand management. Engagement and alignment across multiple programmes - electrification, demand management, alternative fuels infrastructure, rail freight planning and ports capacity - were all noted as areas with considerable collaboration potential. Alignment in messaging is essential across all programmes.

The challenges faced at sub-national level to dictate the implementation of programmes that can have industry-level transformational impact were highlighted, particularly the national level focus on predominantly urban issues. It was noted that regional and rural distribution is still a significant challenge, and it was recommended that actions taken by large food producers around consolidation should be investigated for best-practice and replication. Rural distribution in communities and for rural businesses is still challenging and often not suitable for support by TEN-T Core Network.

TII continue to work on implementation of multi-point tolling initiatives and feedback from the subgroup with regard to such initiatives was focused on ensuring that regional and national movements via the TEN-T network were supported, and that pricing was applied in a manner to deliver on policy aims and on keeping HDVs off local roads. The existing model for access pricing on the Iarnród Éireann network was raised as a current barrier to entry for increasing rail-freight proportions of overall freight tonnage. It was noted that for a sustainable balance of multi-modal freight across road and rail to be established, in line with policy aims, evaluation of a more economic access charging basis would be required.

In addition to the previous noted feedback on port infrastructure planning, regional integration planning particularly at Dublin Port and Port of Cork were considered as being beneficial to improve flow and access with the potential to also support multimodality including hinterland access via rail freight links and dry-dock infrastructure.

Local Measures

The scale and implementation of local measures was given specific consideration, in particular the constraints, challenges and needs of logistics, freight and goods supply in urban areas. A number of key themes were raised with an overall message of ensuring the needs of the essential deliveries to businesses, places of work, education centres

and homes are considered across all subgroup interventions proposed.

minimum number of hours on one site to support such demand management.

Local measures discussed included kerbside management and loading access, delivery access and times, freight management strategies, construction management planning, and urban multimodality.

As noted in previous sections, the potential use of active modes and public transport for deliveries was discussed. Enabling infrastructure and the provision of cycling facilities in urban areas were particularly important, as well as limiting interactions between heavy vehicles and vulnerable road users such as cyclists. Sharing public transport facilities to support micro consolidation hubs was noted for consideration of key public transport providers as well as the potential for multimodality that local hubs could provide.

Kerbside management and loading bay access was discussed at length, particularly with regard to parking, access restrictions and potential pedestrianisation initiatives. Key insights for implementation focused on planning requirements for adequately sized loading bays, smart-loading bay solutions, loading bays that can facilitate just in time delivery, enforcement of parking around loading bays and the encouragement of planning requirements for logistics plans and adequate loading bay infrastructure.

Challenge

The freight sector poses a unique challenge as it is expected to significantly grow in the coming years and the upfront costs for alternative technologies are significantly higher than for diesel HDVs.

Significant weight was also placed on ensuring that the needs of deliveries are adequately considered in pedestrianisation and access-based measures. For example, anecdotal evidence was offered in respect of heavy deliveries having to be undertaken at significant distances due to an inability to gain access close to served businesses. Allowances for out-of-hours access in pedestrianised and shared areas are widespread and consideration should be made for these in all cases. As noted above, logistics plans should be included in all planning considerations.

Additionally, as an island our ability to transport goods long distances by train is limited compared with mainland Europe. At regional and local levels, consideration should be given to ‘last mile’ logistic operations for freight and associated deliveries. How this is implemented will need careful consideration as space for delivery trucks is not always factored into the rollout of demand management measures such as road space reallocation which has had unintended consequences for deliveries in some cases. The management of kerbsides, ensuring deliveries are built into proposed measures, will be essential to maintaining levels of service and preventing disruption. As with all measures, consistent communication will be important.

It was raised that an interfacing suite of city and regional freight management strategies should be developed on a coordinated and collaborative basis with industry, to enable forward planning of freight management in urban, peri-urban and regional-rural areas. Sharing the approach between jurisdictions will create a network of best practice and will allow for transport, ports, energy and other related national agencies to sufficiently plan for the future.

Conclusion and Recommendations

National Measures

Planning processes that require construction management should be coordinated across similarly linked projects. Submissions should be site- specific and not generic, and focus on the breakdown of material types, delivery types, labour types and the mode of transport to be used and its management. Where possible and on larger projects, labour in urban areas should use public transport and provide secure storage for tools and equipment for contractors that have a critical

Given the positive sentiment towards the continued development of rail freight, and working collaboratively across multiple agencies, it is intended to develop a policy for the development of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges. This will ensure that the transport system is capable of meeting demand from a growing market in intermodal goods and parcel services in a sustainable way. The All-Island Strategic Rail

Review (AISRR) acknowledges the role that heavy rail can play in supporting a sustainable freight, logistics and transport system and its suitability, in particular, to the traditional bulk freight market (which are generally non-time critical flows), as well as the growing market in intermodal goods and parcel services (which are more time critical). Rail freight is generally considered to be most competitive over relatively long distances. In Ireland, this means the potential role of rail freight will be focused on serving inter-regional journeys between the island’s largest cities and busiest ports. The All-Island Strategic Rail Review recommends the following:

Recommendations to develop national level measures for freight are set out in Chapter 10 and summarised here as follows:

Recommendation 10: Continue to enhance rail freight capacity and explore potential for future growth in the sector.

Recommendation 27: Raising consumer awareness on vehicle buying and ownership.

Regional Measures

As outlined in the Road Haulage Strategy, the preparation of strategies for sustainable freight distribution for the Greater Dublin Area and the metropolitan areas of the four regional cities would provide a solid basis to achieve more effective management of goods movement.

ᴏ Develop a sustainable solution for first-mile last mile rail access for Dublin Port;

ᴏ Reduce Track Access Charges for freight services;

The sub-group concurred with this position but reinforced the need for stakeholder involvement in this work. For this reason, it was advised that the NTA, TII, regional assemblies, Local Authorities, Irish Rail, port and airport operators, the haulage sector and key freight-generating sectors of the economy should be represented in any process to develop such strategies.

ᴏ Strengthen rail connectivity to the island’s busiest ports; and

ᴏ Develop a network of inland terminals close to major cities on the rail network;

Aligned to the above is Iarnród Éireann’s Rail Freight 2040 Strategy, which commits to providing rail connectivity to Ireland’s Tier 1 ports, including connections from the ports at Foynes and the Port of Cork to the rail network, direct rail connections to industrial facilities and increasing the market share of rail freight in line with other European countries. Of the AISRR recommendations, the policy could consider the potential for accelerating a reduction in rail access charges.

The Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022- 2042, includes a Measure ‘FREIGHT 1’ which will support the decarbonisation of the freight sector, seek to further integrate smart technologies in logistics management and reinforce the role that the strategic road and rail network, and the location of ports, have in the efficient movement of freight. Key in this are two elements– the Strategic Traffic Management Plan, as required under Section 64 of the Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) Act 2008 and the Demand Management Scheme as provided for under Section 71 of the DTA Act.

Another national level intervention would involve the ongoing implementation of measures related to energy efficiency, for example widespread eco-driving training and practice for HGVs– in line with the Department of Transport national standard, recently established. Also of importance in this area is the potential role of vehicle fuelefficiency labelling (VFEL). This would help to raise consciousness about the fuel efficiency of the vehicles on sale, based on the assumption that properly informed consumers/ businesses will be more likely to purchase vehicles that are more fuel efficient. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies can also help to progress energy efficiency, providing drivers with real-time feedback to directly control vehicle speed to improve traffic flow and reduce the incidence and severity of collisions.

Consistent with GDA Strategy Measure ‘FREIGHT 1’, a consultant team appointed by the NTA has developed a framework for the future development of a Sustainable Freight Distribution Strategy, in consultation with key stakeholders. This work has now been completed and is intended to inform how the GDA Strategy’s freight-related objectives are progressed. The NTA will also consider the applicability of this framework to the regional cities’ metropolitan areas as part of the implementation of their respective transport strategies.

Local Measures

In addition to the five largest urban centres, consideration of goods movement at regional level via Regional Freight Strategies would add value.

Building on outputs from the SENATOR project, it is proposed to review national and international best practice case studies and identify what options are best suited for implementation in Ireland. Additionally, information on activities and projects already underway in Ireland in relation to freight operational efficiencies will be gathered and the capacity for building on, or replicating, those initiatives where relevant and appropriate will be examined.

These should be consistent with the objectives of the RSESs, with a particular focus on intersettlement freight movement and on the preparation of regional freight distribution plans. The RSES Monitoring Plans and Local Transport Plans, currently being prepared in conjunction with statutory Local Area Plans, would be relevant in this context. When evaluating infrastructure investment, the operational impacts on freight should also be considered.

This work could also:

ᴏ assess and identify possible incentives for supporting urban consolidation centres, last-mile green delivery and the promotion of cycling/walking for deliveries;

The NTA commissioned consultants in June 2023 to carry out research on the different types of innovative logistics hubs that would, if implemented at scale, have the potential to reduce carbon emissions from road freight to a significant extent in Ireland. The scope of this research included recommendations for some practical pilot actions that could be taken over the next 2-3 years to demonstrate (on a smaller scale) the inherent potential of such hubs to the market, such as:

ᴏ consider the potential for shifting urban delivery trips to off- peak times to reduce trip times (emissions), leading to more efficient freight operations and reduce congestion;

ᴏ consider the options for the creation of a single destination for delivery vehicles that can be shared by multiple users in the same neighbourhood/ vicinity;

ᴏ Operating a sustainable distribution centre, using zero emission HGVs;

ᴏ consider the use of various interventions to optimise freight transport including (but not limited to): asset sharing and digital platforms (addressing any existing barriers), spatial modelling of logistics demand, dynamic routing, AI and machine learning, autonomous deliveries and ITS;

ᴏ Operating a ‘Green Port’ which uses zero emission equipment and offers ships the opportunity to use shore power;

ᴏ Developing and operating a Construction Consolidation Centre;

ᴏ Developing and operating a micro-hub for ‘last mile’ deliveries to a city centre; and

ᴏ strategies for increasing awareness of the environmental impact of same/next day deliveries and setting out alternatives and their benefits;

ᴏ Developing and operating a decoupling point for ‘last mile’ deliveries.

In summary, there is one key recommendation being made in respect of the above as part of this Strategy:

In summary, the measures recommended would be encompassed in the following.

Recommendation 12: Improve opportunities for freight consolidation, last mile green delivery and use of technology.

Recommendation 11: Develop Sustainable Freight Distribution Strategies for 5 Cities.

This recommendation would also be aligned to the national position on rail freight arising from the AISRR.