5.1 Decarbonisation

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Decarbonisation Investment Priority is the National Roads network’s greatest challenge. It encompasses three investment portfolio themes: Integrated Mobility; Electric Vehicle Charging; and Active Travel.

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Figure from page 36

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An integrated multi-modal trip could encompass one from a rural area of low population density to a busy urban centre. It could ideally be composed of multiple parts whereby a trip-maker switches mode from car to public transport at the earliest opportunity and completes the final portion of the trip through walking or cycling. Car dependency is reduced but an acceptable level of personal mobility is retained.

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Establishing linkages between National Roads and transport hubs is vital e.g., heavy and light rail stations, bus stations and stops, greenways and National and County Cycle Networks.

TII will contribute to integrated mobility by investing in measures such as Park and Ride, Park and Share and bus prioritisation, where appropriate along National Roads. Improving connections to major public transport hubs, e.g., active travel infrastructure within close proximity of rail stations, could also form part of this portfolio of investment.

TII will ensure that the potential for induced travel demand will be estimated for all major projects such that the need for any future investments in the road network will align with decarbonisation objectives.

Project showcase - Park and Share Facility (M1)
TII and Louth County Council opened, in October 2021, Ireland’s fri st purpose-built Park and Share Facility on the Motorway Network, of fjunction 16 (formally the N52 Junction). The 226 Parking Bay Facility represents an investment in the order of €1 million and will significantly improve safety at the junctions off the M1 Motorway, in particular the N33, N53 and R215 where there is an existing safety issue of parking in the verge. The project incorporates: Wiring for Electric Vehicles (EV); Flood Lighting CCTV Cameras; Turnaround area to facilitate pick up and drop offs; Pedestrian footpaths; Safe access off the R215; Closing of existing hard shoulders on the N33, N53 and R215 to prevent future on road parking; VMS Signage directing drivers to the Park and Share.
	In addition to safe parking, the facility will have the added benefit of incentivising more car sharing as well as access to bus services which in turn will reduce the environmental impact of commuting in individual cars.

Figure from page 37

The National Development Plan (2021-2030) Strategic Investment Priority for Transport includes the target of nearly one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 with additional charging infrastructure to cater for growth. The Climate Action Plan requires a significant increase in the proportion of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the car fleet to transition away from internal combustion engines. It is also likely that the sale of new vehicles with internal combustion engines will be banned during the 2030s, with the European Parliament having voted to mandate that all new car and van sales should be zero emissions from 2035. To achieve the required uptake, barriers must be addressed, particularly in the areas of range anxiety and the widespread availability of charging infrastructure.

TII will work with the Department of Transport’s Zero Emissions Vehicles office to support the delivery of the national EV charging infrastructure in line with its EV Charging Infrastructure strategy, currently under development.

Figure from page 37

TII is committed to delivering improved active travel provision in all its projects, such as improving the safety of the National Roads network for active travel users and reducing the severance caused by some National Roads in urban areas. TII will collaborate with stakeholders to progress the National Cycle Network plan to cater for more active trips and expand the Greenway network nationwide, on behalf of the Department of Transport. Provision of safe, high quality active travel infrastructure will encourage modal shift and may result in reductions in carbon emissions.

Project showcase – TII Road Emissions Model

TII has developed and maintains a Road Emissions Model (REM) and can quantify and visualise the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and CO2e) of the National Roads network’s vehicle users in the existing situation and the future.

TII REM was developed for strategic analysis to understand the contributions of the different parts of the vehicle fleet, where the National Roads network is operating efficiently or inefficiently (i.e. uncongested or congested conditions), what emissions may be associated with TII scheme programmes and how road interventions may affect emissions. The tool therefore can be used both to inform policy and test policy proposals to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The TII REM Tool works with the TII National Transport Model (NTpM). This facilitates informed decision making.

The TII REM Tool works with the TII National Transport Model (NTpM). This facilitates informed decision making and allows TII understand economic, safety and emissions outcomes associated with possible National Road interventions facilitate informed decision making.

When planning future infrastructure, climate modelling may have to be performed for a range of future transport scenarios to take account of potential behavioural change and different future profiles of the national vehicle fleet. This will provide information of how future transport infrastructure will perform under a range of potential future emission scenarios and support the consideration of whether an investment aligns with Ireland’s national decarbonisation targets.