Date: 24 Jan 2022
Local Authorities Active Travel Funding for 2022 Announced
The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan T.D., today confirmed that the National Transport Authority (NTA) has allocated funds to Ireland’s local authorities with a view to spending €289 million on walking and cycling infrastructure in 2022.
This funding will contribute to the development of almost 1,000km of new and improved walking and cycling infrastructure across the country by 2025 (according to the NTA’s multi-year draft programme to be published shortly).
Funding Allocation across Active Travel Programmes
| Active Travel Programme |
2022 Budget |
| Asset Protection & Renewal |
€37,950,000 |
| Smarter Travel |
€600,000 |
| New Active Travel Infrastructure |
€248,800,000 |
| Green Schools |
€1,650,000 |
Speaking on the announcement Minister Eamon Ryan stated:
"It is great to see our investment in active travel starting to bear fruit. I want us to now accelerate delivery of sustainable transport modes as we come out of the majority of COVID restrictions. It is vital that we do not allow a return to gridlock as we come out of the pandemic. We need to use the switch to remote working as an opportunity to reallocate road space to create a safer and more efficient transport system"
The majority of the funding allocation – €248,800,000 - has been allocated to constructing new active travel infrastructure; including studies, implementation of traffic management measures, bus priority facilities and multi-modal corridors to facilitate modal shift towards sustainable modes.
€105,000,000 of this will be invested in the Greater Dublin Area, with €92,000,000 going to regional cities. Projects to be delivered this year include the Clontarf to City Centre route in Dublin, MacCurtain Street in Cork, O’Connell Street in Limerick, the Salmon Weir Bridge in Galway, as well as connection of the Waterford Greenway from Bilberry into the City Centre.
An allocation of €43,000,000 is being provided to rural counties to fund new active travel infrastructure, with circa 1,200 walking and cycling projects being developed by local authorities across the country. Projects include the Hanover Pedestrian and Cycle Scheme in Carlow and the N63 pedestrian and cycle scheme in Longford, among many other examples.
€37,950,000 has also been allocated to local authorities for the upgrade and renewal of existing active travel infrastructure, including €28,950,000 for the replacement and upgrade of first generation cycle and walking facilities in the Greater Dublin Area.
Another €8,800,000 will benefit programmes like Safe Routes to School, Regional Bikes and Cycling Design Offices.
A breakdown of the cost allocations across the various programme can be found HERE and the breakdown of allocations across each local authority can be found HERE.
Active travel grant allocation across local authorities
| Local Authority |
2022 Allocation |
| Carlow County Council |
€2,515,000 |
| Cavan County Council |
€3,371,445 |
| Cork City Council |
€46,291,010 |
| Cork County Council |
€20,456,545 |
| Clare County Council |
€5,298,000 |
| Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council |
€38,990,000 |
| Donegal County Council |
€5,596,000 |
| Dublin City Council |
€52,810,000 |
| Fingal County Council |
€25,535,000 |
| Galway County Council |
€7,875,000 |
| Galway City Council |
€15,185,000 |
| Kildare County Council |
€13,670,000 |
| Kerry County Council |
€4,130,293 |
| Kilkenny County Council |
€3,000,000 |
| Laois County Council |
€3,000,000 |
| Limerick City and County Council |
€24,390,568 |
| Leitrim County Council |
€2,086,731 |
| Longford County Council |
€2,382,668 |
| Louth County Council |
€6,533,361 |
| Mayo County Council |
€5,027,724 |
| Meath County Council |
€13,910,000 |
| Monaghan County Council |
€2,500,605 |
| Offaly County Council |
€3,681,908 |
| Roscommon County Council |
€3,264,792 |
| South Dublin County Council |
€18,158,485 |
| Sligo County Council |
€3,020,000 |
| Tipperary County Council |
€6,666,601 |
| Wicklow County Council |
€9,007,500 |
| Waterford City and County Council |
€24,010,000 |
| Westmeath County Council |
€4,000,000 |
| Wexford County Council |
€4,440,000 |
Safe Routes to School Programme
The Safe Routes to School Programme is also included in this year’s Active Travel allocation. €1,650,000 has been allocated towards staff costs, back office setup, awards, conferences, cycle training, research and secondary schools development.
This Programme commenced last year and aims to create new and safer walking and cycling routes within communities, reducing congestion at the school gates and increasing the number of students who walk or cycle to school. 170 Schools nationally were selected in the first phase of delivery and works are expected to commence on many of them this year.