The National Transport Authority (NTA) has today published a new report looking at the benefits of the Active Travel Investment Programme which has seen the NTA and local authorities deliver almost 1,000km of active travel infrastructure (2021-2025), hundreds of new pedestrian crossings and junction upgrades and more than a dozen pedestrian and cycling bridges nationwide.
The ‘Benefits of Active Travel Investment’ Report, which was commissioned from Turley Planning Ireland and supported by ARUP, highlights how almost all investment in active travel infrastructure is converted into benefits for Ireland’s economy, supporting domestic economic development and job creation. Between 2021-2030, the NTA’s Active Travel Investment Programme, with funding from the Department of Transport, will have invested approximately €2.9 billion in the delivery of active travel infrastructure.
Among the Report’s key findings:
One of the main benefits that we can see today is the large number of jobs supported by active travel investment. Right across the country, active travel schemes are being designed, planned and constructed by many Irish based companies (design and construction) that help support local economies. As part of this report, interviews and surveys were conducted with companies working in the delivery of active travel infrastructure with the findings highlighting very low leakage rates. (Please note: Leakage rate refers to the proportion of investment spending that flows out of the domestic economy)
The report also confirms how choosing walking or cycling over driving puts more money back into people’s pockets and the wider economy. Annual commuter savings are estimated at €620 for pedestrians and €3,480 for those cycling. The savings from cycling are made up of savings for the individual (vehicle running costs, health, taxation etc) and savings for wider society (road maintenance costs, journey time, noise, air quality etc).
The Report also highlights how the Department of Transport has committed to guaranteeing funding for the NTA’s Active Travel Investment Programme for the remainder of this decade with approximately €290m in funding annually up to 2030. As part of its analysis, the Report points to the impact that inflation is likely to have on the real value of this funding and how that might affect the level of delivery up to 2030.
Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien, said “The Benefits of Active Travel Investment Report shows the positive financial impact of the significant increase in Government funding for walking and cycling since the start of this decade. Choosing active transport modes over private car journeys results in savings for commuters as well as creating and maintaining jobs across various sectors around the country.
Active Travel investment supports local economies and that is just one of the reasons, along with various social, health and climate benefits, why we will continue to invest in walking and cycling at a high level out to 2030, as committed in the National Development Plan and the Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan 2026-2030.”
Anne Shaw, CEO of National Transport Authority said “This Report is yet further confirmation that the work the NTA is doing with our Local Authorities is having a real benefit, not just for the people who are using our enhanced active travel networks, but for the wider economy too. From job creation to the knock-on positive effects for other businesses, there are many reasons why continued investment in this area is good for all of us.
The NTA is working closely with the Department of Transport with regards ongoing funding and we are constantly exploring ways in which we can continue to support and grow our active travel networks nationwide, improving our public realms and creating more liveable communities for everyone.’
