Safety

Improve mobility safety GOAL

1 Goal 1 aims to improve the safety of all mobility options including active travel, road and rail and to prioritise the safety and security of those working on / travelling by sustainable mobility.

We will continue to work to minimise risk through regulation and collaboration with our state bodies including the Commission for Railway Regulation, the NTA, the Road Safety Authority and TII, along with the public transport operators.

Strategy 2021-2030 prioritises the safety of those who are most vulnerable to ensure their right to travel the roads safely is protected. The safety of people walking and cycling is a primary factor that needs to be considered carefully in the design of all transport schemes and services, and in retrofitting existing infrastructure if necessary.

Ireland’s road safety performance has improved considerably in recent years and the country was ranked as the second safest EU Member State in 2019, However, 147 lives were lost on the road and 1,111 people were seriously injured in 202013 and we need to do more to protect all road users and continue to work towards our Vision Zero commitment.

The Safe Routes to School Programme was developed in response to ongoing issues of safety and congestion at the school gate and on routes to school. Safer walking and cycling infrastructure within communities will be provided under the programme to make it easier for children, parents and teachers to safely walk, cycle and scoot to school every day.

Pedestrians and cyclists are more vulnerable on the road than motorists. The Road Safety

13 www.rsa.ie/about/safety-strategy-2021-2030

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility

Case Study | Safe Routes to School

The Safe Routes to School Design Guide aims to provide technical guidance on design principles and considerations to enable local authorities, in conjunction with Green Schools, to create safer, calmer, more attractive routes to school and front of school environments. The guide also aims to provide designers with a set of design concepts and ideas, and precedent examples of schemes that have successfully enhanced sustainable access to school.

The Safe Routes to School Programme was launched in 2021 and is designed to encourage as many students as possible in primary and post-primary schools to walk, scoot and cycle. The programme has three aims:

1. To accelerate the delivery of walking/ scooting and cycling infrastructure on key access routes to schools.

2. To provide ‘front of school’ treatment to enhance access to school grounds.

A total of 170 schools were selected for inclusion in round one of the Safe Routes to School Programme. The schools selected were assessed against a range of criteria including school type, location and the school’s commitment to sustainable travel. Schools that applied and which were not selected are not required to reapply as they will come into the programme on a rolling basis.

3. To expand the amount of bike parking available at schools.

The programme is an initiative of the Department of Transport and supported by the Department of Education. It is operated by An Taisce’s Green Schools in partnership with the NTA and the local authorities.

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility

Seamless interchange between active travel and public transport is an important safety issue. Land use planning can play a key role by ensuring the integration of safe and convenient alternatives to the car into the design of local communities and by prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments. We also need to consider newer forms of mobility such as e-scooters and seek a balance between encouraging uptake of these forms of mobility while addressing user and public safety issues.

public transport can be a deterrent to travelling by public transport. A range of measures have been put in place by the public transport operators to address safety concerns on public transport including security staff, CCTV, text alert systems, enhanced national and local protocols, and liaison with An Garda Síochána. To complement these measures and ensure continued safety on public transport, we will introduce an annual public transport safety and security audit to collate information on trends in incidents or anti-social behaviour relating to public transport and survey perceptions of safety and personal security. Further safety measures will be implemented where appropriate. Campaigns will also continue to be run on all modes of public transport to remind people of politeness and etiquette for others. These will include anti-racism, JAM card (a card which allows people with a learning difficulty, autism or communication barrier tell others they need ‘Just a Minute’ discreetly and easily), LGBTQ+ and Respect for Staff campaigns.

The safety of our railway network and services will continue under the legally required Infrastructure Manager Multi-Annual Contract (IMMAC). The current IMMAC programme covers the period 2020 to 2024 and a new programme will be agreed for the period 2025 to 2030. Funding under the programme can increase service reliability and punctuality, improve journey times and ensure continued safety of rail services. The National Train Control Centre will introduce a fully integrated traffic management system to control signalling on the rail network while a new train protection system will be introduced across the complete network.

There is ongoing significant investment in maintaining the existing road network to a robust and safe standard. This will continue to ensure that existing extensive road based public transport and active travel systems are maintained to a high-standard to underpin continued safe and quality levels of service, accessibility and connectivity for all users. Investment can also enable retrofitting the road network for more sustainable transport use, for example through the provision of bus lanes and cycle tracks. Alongside this investment, public education and awareness campaigns, as well as enforcement interventions, will be implemented to encourage the adoption of positive behaviours to safely share the roads.

While the vast majority of public transport journeys occur without risk to passenger or staff safety and security, incidents of anti-social behaviour at stations and stops, and on-board

National Sustainable Mobility Policy | Principle 1: Safe and Green Mobility