COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, June 12, 2023
QUESTION NO. 7
QUESTION: Councillor L. Hagin Meade
To ask the Manager about the development of a South Dublin County Council specific Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, to include the timeline for development and implementation of this plan, as a method to reach our Climate Action Goals.
REPLY:
The South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028, adopted in June 2022 by the Members, includes Sustainable Movement at Chapter 7 https://www.sdcc.ie/en/devplan2022/adopted-plan/chapter-7-sustainable-movement/chapter-7-sustainable-movement.pdf
The Vision as included in the County Development Plan for sustainable movement is to:
‘Increase the number of people walking, cycling and using public transport and reduce the need for car journeys, resulting in a more active and healthy community, a more attractive public realm, safer streets, less congestion, reduced carbon emissions, better air quality, quieter neighbourhoods and a positive climate impact’.
The policy and objectives within the Plan set out how this is to be done. This includes targets for travel mode share for the County and detail on the current mode share for the county and for each neighbourhood area.
The way in which these targets can be met includes the rollout of Cycle South Dublin and the timelines for the different schemes have been included in the Plan. The Cycle South Dublin programme identifies a Vision for South Dublin to become one of the most cycle friendly counties in the Country and to achieve this identifies some 65 active travel projects to be delivered. These projects will encourage a modal shift to walking and cycling.
The Plan also includes objectives to remove barriers to movement and ensuring that connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists is maximised. Public transport is actively supported and objectives to liaise with the NTA in its delivery are being actively pursued through Bus Connects and improved rail and Luas services.
The Council also works closely with the NTA on the design and delivery of the GDA transport strategy and the associated delivery of public transport infrastructure set out in that strategy such as Bus Connects, DART+, Luas upgrades and new Luas lines.
In addition, as we progress area specific plans we prepare more detailed transport plans based on local transport modelling work. This is the case for the plan making work we are currenltt progressing at City Edge and at Clondalkin.
Other ways that the Development Plan aims to reach our climate action goals is to ensure compact growth, facilitating the 15-minute settlement concept and the shift to public transport and active modes of travel. The Plan also provides for active travel and schools, including supporting the school streets initiative and the green school initiative. Chapter 8 of the Plan has specific objectives on travel to school, recognising that the car is used for too many short trips to school and including measures to encourage changes to travel behaviour around the design and location of schools, for instance:
Monitoring of the Development Plan over its six year timeframe will provide feedback on the implementation of the objectives and an opportunity to review what is working well and what is not. Each chapter of the Development Plan includes a climate audit looking at the source of greenhouse gases that are relevant to the chapter and the measures which have been taken to address climate impacts.