3.8 Movement of People

3.8 Movement of People

The operation, maintenance, renewal, and development of National Roads must focus on the movement of people, rather than vehicles.

Project Ireland 2040’s NSO4 relates to Sustainable Mobility, which supports social and economic activity, and the role of National Roads in a sustainable transport system is a key consideration.

What constitutes efficient mobility differs between urban; rural; and inter-urban contexts as well as between users within each context: female/male; elderly/young; trip purpose- to work or for errands; etc. Availability of active travel infrastructure and public transport services will enable road users to choose the most convenient and efficient transport modes and routes for them.

Nationally, bus (and coach) journeys increased by 60 percent from 2013 to 2019 (141 mil. trips to 226 mil.), accounting for 82 percent total public transport vehicle-km (2019)12. Figure 3.4 illustrates public transport services facilitated across the National Roads network13 , not accounting for service frequency which may vary across the network and time of day. Infrequent services, particularly during commuter periods, does not enable many road users to switch to an alternative mode from the car. Population growth along with national decarbonisation targets drives the need for more efficient use of road space. Re-allocation of road space is to be investigated, to promote and enable a sustainable modal-shift while minimising environmental impact.

In line with the 1993 Roads Act (as amended), the needs of all road users must be considered. Public transport operators and customers will seek more capacity as well as increased speed and frequencies for reduced travel time and journey time reliability in years ahead. It is the role of the National Roads network to accommodate this. In relation to active travel, where national roads are too dangerous for active travel, meaningful interventions should be considered in cooperation with relevant stakeholders and partner agencies.

Figure 3.4 Bus service routes operating on National Roads (2022)

12 NTA - Commercial Bus Services in Ireland - Statistical Bulletin: 01 / 2021 13 Source: General Transit Feed Specification data (https://www.transportforireland.ie/transitData/PT_Data.html)