COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 09, 2013

MOTION NO. 8

MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

That this Council welcomes the commitment to update the previous 2010 Transport Accessibility Study to reflect Dublin Bus Network Direct and other changes such as the increased frequency of service on the Kildare Railway Line; but further requests that this study would also factor in (and score) both public transport journey times to key destinations/hubs and the availability of direct public transport routes to areas identified as key trip destinations  for each origin area using data such as CSO POWCAR; so as to provide a more-rounded snapshot of public transport accessibility, convenience and attractiveness in our County.

REPORT:

The 2010 Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) study is a spatial accessibility assessment tool intended to provide a generalised three-tier snapshot of public transport accessibility throughout South Dublin County at a particular point in time.  It was prepared as one of a number of assessment criteria to assist Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) monitoring in relation to land use planning, which is ongoing.  Frequencies of public transport service and routes can and will change over time and accordingly, the PTAL study can be updated to reflect changes in level of service and routing.  The introduction of factors such as journey times for a variety of origins/destinations and the relative attractiveness of modes requires a more complex multi-modal transport modelling approach, however.  This type of more detailed assessment is generally undertaken for a specific purpose such as a major transport project or land use plan, based on known and projected inputs at a particular point in time.  For example, in the recent case of the proposed amendments to the Adamstown Planning Scheme, this was undertaken on behalf of the Council by the National Transport Authority, as the agency responsible for both maintaining a transport model and overseeing the planning of public transport services for the County and Region.