National Sustainable Mobility Forum

National Sustainable Mobility Policy |Year One Progress Report

The inaugural National Sustainable Mobility Forum took place on 20 April, bringing together stakeholders from local authorities, transport agencies and operators, Government departments, academics, civil society groups and others.

heard from Pete Lunn of the ESRI who presented recent behavioural analysis research focused on public responses to active travel and public realm projects. A panel discussion included participation from Peter Jones (University College London) Mariana Mirabile (OECD), Elaine Howley (Disability Stakeholders’ Group) and Stephen Murnane (National Youth Assembly on Climate) drew out key areas for consideration in future policy development and set the scene for the later workshop discussions which offered the opportunity for stakeholders to present their views on a range of topics including:

On the day before the Forum (the 19th), the department provided an opportunity for attendees to visit the Athlone bus depot for a presentation by Bus Éireann on the transition of the town services to a fully electric bus fleet. Also featured was a visit, organised by Westmeath County Council, to the greenway on the outskirts of the town – part of the Old Rail Trail. Delegates could see how this infrastructure was providing a safe and active route for children to independently travel between local schools, housing estates, sports facilities, and the town centre. The visit included a chance to see the new walking and cycling bridge crossing the River Shannon, due to open in summer 2023. Once open, the bridge will serve as a key link in the Dublin-Galway greenway route which remains under development. While many delegates were only able to travel to Athlone for the Forum itself, about 30 delegates took the opportunity to participate in the site visits on the 19th.

Ӄ Road space reallocation

Ӄ Shared mobility

Ӄ Road safety

Ӄ Public transport

Ӄ Community-led transport initiatives

Ӄ Demand management, and

Ӄ Climate Action Plan targets on sustainable Escort-to-Education journeys.

The Forum concluded with summaries of each of the discussions by the workshop rapporteurs and closing remarks from the National Youth Assembly representative, and a full Forum report will be published in Q3 2023.

The Forum itself was a busy event with more than 120 people in attendance. Following a welcoming address by Minister Ryan, delegates

Figure from page 13