2.2.6 Public Transport

The transportation policies and objectives of this development plan are guided by the objectives of the National Transport Authority’s (NTA’s) transport strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016 – 2035. The document ‘Smarter Travel – A Sustainable Transport Future‘ (Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport) is also influential in encouraging the growth of more sustainable modes of transport. It set out ambitious national-level targets for the period 2009 – 2020 which included a reduction in the total share of car commuting from 65% to 45%, and a related increase in walking, cycling and public transport modes to 55% of total commuter journeys to work.

Following the government’s earlier ‘Transport 21’ strategy and the economic difficulties encountered nationally over the last 5 – 6 years, the planned public transport network has been modified in recent NTA proposals. Some objectives may take longer to achieve than originally envisaged and, therefore, interim measures are proposed. The development plan supports the concept of a rail link to the airport.

A mixed-use, sustainable approach to city living, with an emphasis on quality, compact neighbourhoods, transcends the land-use zoning and over-arching policies of the plan. The plan pursues a sequential approach to securing modal shift from private motorised modes of transport to more sustainable modes including walking, cycling and public transport. The settlement and retail strategy align closely with sustainable transport policies in this plan