Ireland bolsters cycle investment spend with €million announcement

Ireland’s government has earmarked millions of euros for cycling and ‘greenway’ projects, as part of a €1 billion-plus investment into national roads and greenways, on 17 Feb 2023.

Around €63 million funding through TII’s Greenway Programme will contribute to the ongoing development of circa 70 Greenway projects around Ireland. Funding will go towards continuing construction on projects already underway and pushing others through the planning and design stage.

This cash partly fulfils the government’s prior commitment to spend €360 million per annum on walking and cycling, to encourage sustainable and healthy choices.

Ministers said that it was a testament to the priorities of the government that it was continuing to allocate more than €1 million a day to walking and cycling programmes across the country. In addition to the €63 million allocated to greenways, the Ministers announced funding of €290 million for approximately 1,200 walking and cycling projects across the country.

Opponents of 15-minute-towns – a concept that (incredibly) has become contentious for the more extreme controversialists – should look away now: “A priority for the government is to rapidly advance safe, clean, liveable towns and communities as part of our Towns First policy,” said Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan. “The investment in by-passes particularly will help to take choking traffic out of our town centres, giving them back to residents, to school children, to shoppers and visitors. It will also provide scope for greater active travel options (walking and cycling) in town centres. This will be transformative for town centres, providing an opportunity to meet our housing challenges and our environmental targets.”

Minister at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers, referenced the need to improve road safety, noting 156 deaths and 1,292 serious injuries on the road, adding: “I’m delighted to announce the local authority allocations today which will be used for the further roll out of the Greenways programme in 2023. Over 50 kilometres of Greenway will progress in the planning approval process. A further large portfolio of other projects will progress through early planning, design and appraisal. The Athlone Active Travel Bridge, which is a major piece of cycling infrastructure, forming part of the Dublin to Galway Greenway will be completed in the first half of this year.”

Significant Greenway projects completing in 2023 include three sections of the Grand Canal Greenway and a section of the Clifden to Recess Greenway. Construction work will continue on sections of the Clew Bay, Waterford to New Ross and Navan to Kingscourt Greenway projects with some proposed sectional openings.