The National Transport Authority has committed €290 million for infrastructure related to walking and bicycling this year, increasing the total amount spent on initiatives promoting active transport to almost €1 billion since 2020, reports RTE.
Eamon Ryan, the minister of transport, stated at the announcement that the funds will support initiatives in all of the nation’s cities, towns, and villages.
The announcement coincides with a national cycling plan that the government and NTA unveiled earlier this year, linking over 200 locations.
Despite rising building expenses, this year’s financing is the same as the €290 million allotted last year, reports RTE.
It is several times the €45 million that was spent in 2019, the final year before the present government initiative, which resulted in a sharp rise in funding for active travel.
According to the NTA, almost 600km of infrastructure for walking, bicycling, and wheelchair users has been made possible by the €1 billion invested since 2020.
The Salmon Weir Bridge in Galway, the Hyde Road Scheme in Limerick, the MacCurtain Street Public Transport Improvement Scheme in Cork, the Ardmore Road Scheme in Mullingar Town, County Westmeath, and an extension of the Coastal Mobility Route in Dun Laoghaire are among the major projects that were finished in 2023, reports RTE.
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