Introduction

Sustainable mobility policy cannot be considered in isolation given its key role in meeting climate change objectives, supporting housing delivery, as well as its economic, health and social benefits. This Policy has been developed to align with, and complement, other international, European and national policies and frameworks.

International

OECD – Well-being lens

The OECD has developed a process – the ‘well-being lens’ – to help governments achieve the transformational change needed to reach international climate goals while improving wider wellbeing outcomes. The OECD 2021 report – Transport Strategies for Net-Zero Systems by Design – applies the well-being process to the transport sector. It builds on the 2019 report - Accelerating Climate Action - and encourages countries to focus climate action on delivering systems that, by design, improve wellbeing while requiring less energy and materials and producing less emissions. The report identifies three dynamics at the source of car dependency and high emissions: induced demand, urban sprawl and the erosion of active and shared transport modes. The report also provides policy recommendations to reverse such dynamics and reduce emissions. These include street redesign and improved management of public space; spatial planning focused on creating proximity; and policies to mainstream shared mobility.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity and applies to both developed and developing countries. The focus of the 2030 Agenda is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their respective 169-sub targets. The goals are all interconnected and address environmental, economic and social challenges.

There is alignment between the UN SDGs and the high-level goals of this Policy in areas such as SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being; SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and SDG 13 Climate Action.

Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015. It sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and trying to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support them in their efforts. Ireland signed up to the Paris Agreement in 2016. Achieving the goals of the agreement will require an intensive programme of decarbonisation across nations, including within the transport sector, as one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. This Policy supports its goals through measures to decarbonise the public transport fleet and encourage modal shift to sustainable modes of travel.

The well-being lens will be applied to the passenger transport sector in Ireland as part of a project to be carried out by the OECD in 2022 for the Climate Change Advisory Council. The Council is an independent advisory body which has the role of informing and shaping Ireland’s response to climate change, as well as of monitoring the Government’s progress towards its climate targets. The OECD project will look at both urban and rural areas, with a particular attention to climate justice considerations in the latter.

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies

European

MMake all transport modes more sustainable.

MMake sustainable alternatives widely available

European Green Deal and EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy

in a multi-modal transport system.

MPut in place the right incentives to drive the

Figure from page 21

transition.

The strategy sets out a four year action plan structured around 10 key flagship areas for action. The vision, principles and goals of this Policy align with a number of the flagships, in particular Flagship 3: Making interurban and urban mobility more sustainable and healthy; Flagship 6: Making connected and automated multi-modal mobility a reality; Flagship 7: Innovation, data and artificial intelligence for smarter mobility; Flagship 9: Making mobility fair and just for all; and Flagship 10 Enhancing transport safety and security. The strategy proposes that all large and medium sized cities should put in place sustainable urban mobility plans by 2030 to address challenges such as congestion, air/noise pollution, climate change, road collisions, on-street parking and the integration of new mobility services.

The European Green Deal was published by the European Commission in 2019 and is a roadmap for making the European Union’s (EU) economy environmentally sustainable. It outlines the actions and targets needed to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. As an intermediate step towards climate neutrality, the EU has raised its 2030 climate ambition committing to cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030 which is known as the Fit for 55 package. The EU is working on the revision of its climate, energy and transport-related legislation under the Fit for 55 package in order to align current laws with the 2030 and 2050 ambitions.

European Urban Mobility Framework

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The European Commission subsequently launched its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy in 2020. It aims to put the EU on the path to creating a sustainable, smart and resilient mobility system and bring about the fundamental changes needed to achieve the objectives of the Green Deal. The strategy is structured around three key objectives – making the European transport system sustainable, smart and resilient. It highlights the importance of making mobility available and affordable for all, that rural and remote regions must remain connected, and that European transport must offer good social conditions to its workers and provide attractive jobs. The strategy recognises that in order to meet the sustainability objective and achieve the systematic change required under the EU Green Deal, there is a need to:

The European Urban Mobility Framework was launched by the European Commission in 2021 and sets out guidance on how cities can cut emissions and improve mobility, including through sustainable urban mobility plans. The main focus is on public transport, walking and cycling. The proposal also considers zero-emission solutions for urban fleets, including taxis and ride hailing services, the last mile of urban deliveries, and the construction and modernisation of multimodal hubs, as well as new digital solutions and services.

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies

National

the transition to sustainable mobility and meet our climate goals. The NDP will also continue to support the protection and maintenance of the existing road network to ensure the safe and efficient travel of all road users across the country, as well as targeted new road investment to provide for regional connectivity and compact urban growth.

National Planning Framework

The NPF sets out policy on spatial planning over the period to 2040 to accommodate Ireland’s projected demographic changes in a sustainable and balanced way. It identifies ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) built around the overarching themes of well-being, equality and opportunity. Sustainable mobility is a key enabler of a number of these NSOs particularly in relation to NSO 1: Compact Growth; NSO 2: Enhanced Regional Accessibility; NSO 3: Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities; NSO 4: Sustainable Mobility; and NSO 8: Transition to a Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Society.

Climate Action Plan 2021

The Climate Action Plan 2021 charts a course to reduce transport greenhouse gas emissions to meet our commitments to a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. This equates to an emissions reduction target for the transport sector of 7 million tonnes of CO₂. The plan contains considerably more ambitious measures and actions than its 2019 predecessor reflecting the step change in climate ambition nationally and internationally. The plan, which will be updated annually, recognises that expanding the availability of sustainable mobility to provide meaningful alternative to everyday private car use is necessary to reduce transport emissions. This will require continued and enhanced investment in our walking, cycling and public infrastructure and services across the country on a scale not previously seen. It sets transport target metrics of 500,000 additional active travel and public transport journeys per day and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil fuelled cars by 2030. The Climate Action Plan will be further revised in 2022 taking account of carbon budgets and associated sectoral ceilings. The associated targets in this Policy will be adjusted once the sectoral emission targets for transport have been settled.

The NPF recognises that the provision of a well-functioning integrated public transport system, enhancing competitiveness, sustaining economic progress and enabling sustainable mobility choices for citizens, supports the overall framework objectives. It includes a number of specific National Policy Objectives around sustainable mobility such as integrating land use and spatial planning to support public transport and transport-orientated development, promoting walking and cycling as more favourable modes of transport to the private car, and prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments.

National Development Plan

The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 outlines a €165 billion capital investment plan for the decade with a particular focus on priority solutions to strengthen housing, climate ambitions, transport, healthcare, jobs growth and economic renewal. The NDP allocates €35 billion for transport over the ten years which will enable the development of a range of active travel and bus and rail infrastructure over the coming years to facilitate

There are over 70 actions in the transport chapter of the Climate Action Plan from delivering significant enhancements across public transport, active travel and electric vehicle charging infrastructure to developing strategies that will help drive behavioural change away from traditional fossil fuelled private car journeys to healthier, more sustainable mobility options. These actions are reflected in, and complemented by, actions included in this Policy.

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies

Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland

Town Centre First

Town Centre First – A Policy Approach for Irish Towns was published in 2022 and builds upon and complements a wide range of government policies. It provides a crosscutting and collaborative framework for central government, local authorities, public and private sector stakeholders, and especially communities, to put the health of town centres at the heart of decision-making processes. This will enable a coordinated approach across government to the delivery of commitments for town centre renewal in Ireland in a manner that will be both informed by and supportive of the wider policy framework. Providing citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options to enable better mobility choices is a key enabler of town centre regeneration.

Housing for All is the Government’s housing plan to 2030 to improve Ireland’s housing system and deliver more homes of all types for people with different housing needs. It is estimated that Ireland will need an average of 33,000 new homes to be provided each year from 2021 to 2030. Sustainable mobility infrastructure and services are a critical enabler of new housing supply and aligning land use planning with transportorientated development can support the delivery of large-scale housing development at key strategic locations.

In order to meet the twin NPF objectives of tackling climate change and delivering more compact growth, Housing for All recognises that there is a need for developments at scale in our cities, particularly close to public transport nodes and where walking and cycling can become the dominant form of mobility within our town centres.

Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030

Underpinning the Road Safety Strategy 2021- 2030 is Ireland’s long-term goal of achieving Vision Zero (zero road deaths or serious injuries) by 2050. Vision Zero was formally adopted in the Programme for Government in 2020 and underpins the EU Road Safety Policy Framework (2021-2030) and the UN’s Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030). To ensure this long-term goal is achieved, the Road Safety Strategy sets a target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030.

Our Rural Future

Our Rural Future 2021- 2025 is the national rural development policy. It recognises that people living in rural areas should have access to good quality public services that enable them to continue to live sustainably in rural communities and help them to maintain a good quality of life.

Transport services are hugely important for people who live and work in rural Ireland. Improvement and further integration of rural public transport services will enable people to continue to live in rural area and to access work, education and social activities, while development of active travel amenities will bring economic and social benefits to communities.

Seven Safe System priority intervention areas have been identified including safe and healthy modes of travel to promote and protect road users engaging in public transport or active travel. It involves the promotion of safer public transport modes and the promotion and provision of safe road environments for otherwise healthy active modes. This includes walking and cycling where the risks of death and serious injury are higher

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies

than for protected, in-vehicle road users. The strategy’s actions under safe and healthy modes of travel align with the actions in this Policy to maintain and improve our existing sustainable mobility system while also providing a safe space for all road users. A number of actions under other priority intervention areas also complement this Policy’s vision, principles and goals.

The plan recognises the need for interlinking policies and programme implementation in the promotion of physical activity across domains such as health, education, sport, recreational physical activity, transport and environment. It contains 60 actions across eight areas.

Healthy Ireland and the National Physical Activity Plan feed into and play a vital role in the development and promotion of active travel, and supporting the vision, principles and goals of this Policy.

Healthy Ireland: A Framework for Improved Health and Well-being 2013-2025

Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways

Healthy Ireland was launched in 2013 as a strategic framework to improve the health and well-being of the nation. The framework is based on international evidence which shows that to create positive change in population health and well-being, a whole of government approach and the buy in of local communities, as well as all of society is required. Healthy Ireland sets out four central goals and outlines actions under six thematic areas.

The Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways was published in 2018 and sets out how national and regional greenways in Ireland should be planned and constructed over the following ten years. While the focus is on tourism and leisure amenities, greenways have potential to enable active travel within local communities and many of the routes funded under the strategy will provide safe segregated routes to schools and workplaces.

The Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021- 2025 was published in 2021 to take stock of the progress made on the original framework and to provide a detailed roadmap for the remaining years of the framework. The plan contains 56 actions across the six themes which will be implemented using a cross-government approach.

Well-Being Framework

The Well-Being Framework is a Programme for Government commitment to create a set of indicators to support a broader context for policymaking. It is a cross-government initiative that aims to provide a multidimensional approach to understanding what makes for a better quality of life and thereby more connected policymaking. By considering and measuring progress across economic, societal, environmental and health outcomes, it aims to provide a holistic view of whether taken as a whole, things are getting better or worse, our relative performance, whether it is equal across cohorts, and if it is sustainable into the future.

National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland

The National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland was published in 2016 following a commitment in the Healthy Ireland Framework. The key target of the plan is to increase the number of people taking regular exercise by 1% a year over ten years by making exercise a normal part of everyday life and giving people more opportunities to be active. The plan seeks to ensure that no group is disadvantaged and recognises that targeted interventions are required to address and overcome barriers to participation.

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Alignment with existing policies

The first report on the development of the framework was approved by Government in June 2021. It includes an initial Well-Being Framework and supporting measurements tool – the Well- Being Dashboard – which will be improved over time. It is intended that the Well-Being Framework will be integrated across government policymaking. The overall vision and dimensions of the framework link closely with the vision, principles and goals of this Policy.

private transport. To make best use of our existing assets, protecting and renewing the existing land transport network should, where possible, be the first solution considered. This is followed by maximising the value of the network through optimising its use. Infrastructural investment will then be considered after these two categories have been assessed as inappropriate for the identified problem, with upgrades to existing infrastructure to be considered before outright new infrastructure.

National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland

The National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland (NIFTI) is the long-term sectoral strategy for investment in land transport and replaces the 2015 Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport. Its purpose is to establish the high-level direction and parameters for future investment and ensure that investment is consistent with Government policy. NIFTI is a high-level tool through which project sponsors can align capital transport projects with the NPF. It will guide transport investment to support the delivery of the NPF, enable the Climate Action Plan and promote positive social, environmental and economic outcomes throughout Ireland.

The framework establishes four high-level strategic investment priorities – Decarbonisation; Protection and Renewal; Mobility of People and Goods in Urban Areas; and Enhanced Regional and Rural Connectivity. These priorities are not an either/or scenario. Investment is required in all these areas to support the NPF and Climate Action Plan objectives. The priorities represent the key objectives of transport investment that new projects should align with.

NIFTI also establishes a process to help decide the best solution to an identified need or problem through modal and interventional hierarchies. The framework encourages the use of active travel and public transport ahead of solutions reliant on

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