Victory for the Greens as plan for transport is unveiled

THE three parties at the centre of new coalition government have pledged to fundamentally change the country’s transport system.

It forms part of the lengthy green commitments made in the Programme for Government, which was signed off by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party yesterday.

In what is seen as a win for the Green Party, the new government has promised a 2:1 ratio in capital spending between new public transport infrastructure and new roads.

The deal also commits to spending 10 per cent of the transport capital budget on cycling projects and an allocation of 10 per cent of the total capital budget for pedestrian infrastructure.

This amounts to a total spending of €360 million every year.

One of the key priorities of the Green Party was to reach an agreement to commit to an average seven per cent per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030, and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The 2050 target will be set in law by the Climate Action Bill, which will be introduced in the Dáil within the first 100 days of government and set alongside a newly established Climate Action Council.

The Bill will define how five-year carbon budgets will be set. Every sector will contribute to meeting this target by implementing policy changes.

Some of the policy changes and commitments include:

Delivery of a National Aggregated Model of Retrofitting, reaching more than 500,000 homes by 2030 as part of the EU Renovation Wave.

Accelerated electrification of the transport system, including electric bikes, electric vehicles and electric public transport, alongside a ban on new registrations of petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

A strategy for remote working and remote service delivery, taking advantage of the opportunity for rapid rollout of the National Broadband Plan.

An unprecedented modal shift in all areas by a re-orientation of investment to walking, cycling and public transport.

A new sustainable rural mobility plan.

A transformational programme of research and development.

The parties agreed that fare structures will be reviewed to ensure that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services and incentivises off-peak travel.

They will also task the National Transport Authority (NTA) with producing a park and ride implementation plan for Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, to help reduce congestion and journey times.

Fare structures will bee reviewed