The number of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians entering Dublin city center during the morning rush hour has fallen significantly from pre-pandemic levels. According to a new report, there were nearly 40,000 fewer daily commuters last year, reports Breaking News.
The latest findings from the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Dublin City Council’s annual Canal Cordon Report showed that since 2019, all modes of transport used to commute into the city have fallen by 18 per cent.
These include a 31 percent drop in the number of pedestrians entering the city center in 2022, as well as a 28 percent drop in the number of cyclists compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The reduction was not just limited to sustainable modes of transport, as private car use fell by 13 percent over the same period, reports Breaking News.
Conducted last November, the survey measures the modes of transport used by commuters at 33 locations around the cable car that runs through the Royal Canal and the Grand Canal during the morning rush hour between 7am and 10am.
Comparisons in the survey to 2019 are largely due to the severe movement restrictions put in place during the pandemic, impacting commuting numbers in 2020 and 2021.
The report highlighted the steady growth in the number of people commuting downtown by bike since the pandemic stalled in 2010. The latest figures show that 9,486 cyclists crossed the canal’s cable car last year – almost 3,500 fewer than the 2019 peak – a reduction of 28 per cent.
Figures show the number of cars crossing the cordon was 40,207 in 2022 – a drop of over 6,000 from 2019, or 13 percent, reports Breaking News.
The number of cars entering the city during the morning rush hour has fallen 32 percent from a peak of nearly 58,900 in 2008.
It also pointed out that the number of passengers on all public transport has decreased significantly compared to 2020 and 2021.
In the longer term, NTA believes that the Bus Connects project, an increase in rail capacity and the development of a cycle lane network in Dublin will help increase the number of people using sustainable transport, reports Breaking News.
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