"

BusConnects will enhance the

capacity and potential of the public

transport system by increasing and

replacing the bus fleets with low

emission vehicles and introducing

a new system of Next Generation

Ticketing and cashless payments.

Beyond the built up areas of our cities, the provision of park and ride close to transport links can ensure access to cities for those living outside the major settlements and reduce the need for people to travel into the cities by car.

Over the period of this Policy, construction of MetroLink in Dublin will commence which,

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

Expand availability of sustainable mobility in regional and rural areas

GOAL

4 Goal 4 aims to expand the capacity and availability of sustainable mobility in a regional and rural context. This will be done through the delivery of improved active travel infrastructure, expansion of regional bus and rail services and local bus networks, and improved connectivity between different transport modes.

Pedestrian enhancement plans will also be developed for the regional growth centres and key towns identified in the NPF and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies. Improved walking and cycling infrastructure in towns and villages can support the Town Centre First principle through enabling access to local services by active travel.

Greenways have an important role, both in terms of their economic contribution to communities in attracting tourism and leisure activity, but also their potential to enable active travel within local communities as part of the overall cycle network within settlements. Greater connectivity from/ to greenways to city, town and village centres is being prioritised.

Cycle network plans will be developed for all counties to guide investment in cycling infrastructure, including both new infrastructure and retrofitting of existing infrastructure, in order to develop a network of cycle routes for each county. In tandem with this, a strategic national cycle network will be identified, providing key inter-urban links and enabling the continued development and delivery of that network. The rollout of active travel infrastructure projects in local communities will be supported by staff resources dedicated to active travel projects in local authorities and National Roads Offices around the country.

Across regional and rural Ireland, the bus is at the heart of the public transport system and, just as in the five metropolitan areas, improved and expanded bus services and infrastructure are a key policy priority. Over the period of this Policy there will be continued enhancement and expansion of bus services in towns across the country to better connect local communities and enable modal shift. In rural Ireland, the delivery of the NTA’s Connecting Ireland programme in the coming years will significantly improve bus services, with enhanced and expanded local services to be introduced providing better connections between villages and towns. This will see the expansion of Local Link rural transport services and the prioritisation of public transport projects that enhance regional and rural connectivity. The Local Link offices play an important role in embedding integration within transport service planning by coordinating requirements for access to employment, health,

Given the potential of bike share schemes to facilitate multi-modal journeys and support increased use of active travel, we will develop a model for bike share schemes, including the potential for electric bikes, in the regional growth centres and key towns.

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

social and education opportunities. Local routes will be integrated with enhanced regional interurban bus and rail services to connect to cities and regional centres. Connecting Ireland will entail a review and integration of the timetables of bus and rail services to ensure better integration between and within modes and services. To support the delivery of enhanced services under Connecting Ireland, we will renew and expand the bus fleets on regional and rural bus services across the country along with the development of an enhanced bus stop programme

including provision of shelters, where appropriate, for regional and rural services.

The Strategic Rail Review will examine all aspects of inter-urban and inter-regional rail on the island of Ireland and will consider how to improve regional rail connectivity. It will also examine the potential for high-/higher speed rail across various corridors and the potential of rail to better connect the North-West of the island with the rest of the island.

Case Study | Connecting Ireland

Connecting Ireland is a five year plan which has been developed by the NTA to increase public transport connectivity for people living outside our major cities and towns. It seeks to make public transport for rural communities more useful for more people by:

MEnsuring public transport caters for a range

of functions and not just focus on options for commuting to work or education.

MBetter integrating timetables to make public

transport more useful and connections between different public transport options easier.

MImproving existing services.

MAdding new services.

Connecting Ireland will be implemented collaboratively by the NTA, local authorities, other state agencies, the commercial bus sector, PSO operators and Local Link. Following analysis of feedback received through public consultation, the NTA will commence detailed planning and phased implementation of Connecting Ireland from 2022.

MEnhancing the current Demand Responsive

Transport network which meets the transport needs of people who live in remote locations.

To get a better understanding of where improvements are needed, the NTA carried out a comprehensive assessment of the existing network of regular public transport services operating across the country on a county-by county basis. This identified the following areas for improvement:

MAddressing gaps in the network as two in five

villages are not connected to their nearby big town.

MImproving connectivity between places as

some areas are well connected while others are not well served.

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