South Dublin County Council made a bid for smart travel funding under the 'Sustainable Travel Areas' Programme in October 2009. Stage 1 bids had been invited from all local authorities by the Department of Transport National Sustainable Travel Office. In December 2009, a total of eleven areas, spread throughout the Country, were shortlisted for seed funding to assist with the submission of stage 2 bids by March 2010. South Dublin was not one of the shortlisted areas, but was highly placed, just outside the Stage 2 list. 

 

The successful areas further to the Stage 2 bidding process, (expected to be 2-3) were to be announced in July 2010.  To date, there has been no announcement and there is no information whether there will be any further calls for bids or projects in the future.  The Department of Transport has scheduled a meeting of the Local Authority Smart Travel network for late November and this will be attended by the relevant staff from South Dublin County Council.

 

In June 2009, South Dublin County Council was successful in attracting in excess of two million euro from the Department of Transport sustainable travel programme for a specific project, an extension of the Grand canal cycleway via a new bridge over the Canal to Adamstown and Griffeen Valley Park in South Lucan.  This project is currently at an advanced stage and will be complete in 2011.

 

The Council also successfully piloted a 'Personalised Travel Planning' or 'PTP' smart travel project in Adamstown, jointly funded by the National Transport Authority, which is the other principal source of sustainable travel funding.  It is understood that further funding is available from the National Transport Authority for sustainable travel projects, including the improvement of pedestrian and cycle facilities and measures to influence travel behaviour in favour of more sustainable modes. A joint submission to the National Transport Authority is currently being finalised by the Planning and Transport Departments.