This high level goal has since been further strengthened through the development of a sustainable travel and transport policy for Ireland. This policy, Smarter Travel A Sustainable Transport Future, was published in February 2009, and represents a new transport policy for Ireland for the period 2009-2020. The policy recognises the vital importance of continued investment in transport to ensure an efficient economy and continued social development, but it also sets out the necessary steps to ensure that people choose more sustainable transport modes such as walking, cycling and public transport. The policy is a response to the fact that continued growth in demand for road transport is not sustainable from a number of angles it will lead to further congestion, further local air pollution, contribute to global warming, and result in negative impacts to health through promoting increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Following public consultation, which resulted in almost 500 responses, the SmarterTravel policy was drafted and launched. The vision of the policy was outlined as follows: We aim to:

• Improve quality of life and accessibility to transport for all and, in particular, for people with reduced mobility and those who may experience isolation due to lack of transport
  
  
• Improve economic competitiveness through maximising the efficiency of the transport system and alleviating congestion and infrastructural bottlenecks.
  
  
• Minimise the negative impacts of transport on the local and global environment through reducing localised air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  
• Reduce overall travel demand and commuting distances travelled by the private car
  
  
•   Improve security of energy supply by reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels.
  

These aims will be achieved through 49 specific actions, which can be broadly grouped into 4 key areas:

• Actions to reduce distance travelled by private car and encourage smarter travel, including focusing population growth in areas of employment and to encourage people to live in close proximity to places of employment and the use of pricing mechanisms or fiscal measures to encourage behavioural change,
  
  
• Actions aimed at ensuring that alternatives to the car are more widely available, mainly through a radically improved public transport service and through investment in cycling and walking,
  
  
• Actions aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of motorised transport through improved fleet structure, energy efficient driving and alternative technologies, and
  
  
•   Actions aimed at strengthening institutional arrangements

A summary of the main developments in implementing the SmarterTravel policy is below. Further information on the development and implementation of this policy is available on our website www.smartertravel.ie 

Irelands First National Cycle Policy Framework

From the outset of the development of the SmarterTravel policy, it was clear that reducing dependency on the car would be one of the main objectives necessary for achieving more sustainable travel and transport patterns in Ireland. Public transport will play a major part in ensuring such modal shift occurs, but it was also apparent that the full potential of walking and cycling would have to be realised, if we are to address the negative social, economic and environmental impacts of ever increasing volumes of road transport.

In October 2007 the Department of Transport went out to tender, seeking an independent person or group that would develop a document that would set out the mechanisms whereby cycling in Ireland could become a major mode of travel and transport. This would form the basis of a National Cycle Policy for Ireland.  Colin Buchanan in partnership with Interface for Cycling Expertise was awarded the contract and they submitted their report at the end of March 2008.

This work was used as the basis for the development of Irelands First National Cycle Policy Framework, which was launched in April 2009. The policy sets out nineteen specific objectives that will meet the vision of creating a strong culture of cycling in Ireland. Full details of Irelands First National Cycle Policy Framework can be found on www.smartertravel.ie

In terms of implementation of the cycling policy, the Department of Transport is in discussion with Local Authorities to deliver a number of projects. These  include premium cycle routes in Dublin (from Portobello to the Liffey via Grand Canal, from North Quays towards Fairview and via Heytsbury Street to city centre) and Galway City (the Parkmore and Fisheries Field Greenway) Furthermore, Irelands first National Bike Week was held this year, and proved to be a great success (www.bikeweek.ie)

Green Schools Travel Module

The SmarterTravel policy recognises the need to achieve significant modal shift, and the Minister has made €2 million available in 2008 and 2009 (with similar funding projected in the years to 2012) to enable a significant expansion of support for the Green Schools Travel Module. This scheme is funded by the Department of Transport, and is run by An Taisce through the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO). The Module aims to reduce dependency on car transport for journeys to and from school (and create a life-long culture of using alternatives to the car) and is an important element of implementing the SmarterTravel policy and the National Cycle Policy. In 2008 the initiative reached around 70,000 school children in 264 schools, and the target for 2009 is that 140,000 school children in 450 schools will be reached. The pilot project in 2007 delivered excellent results with walking and cycling increasing by 31% and 52% respectively.

Sustainable transport demonstration initiatives:

The SmarterTravel policy stated the need for demonstration projects to be carried out to show how sustainable transport can be implemented in the Irish context and develop examples of best practice in sustainable transport in this country. Ireland faces many specific challenges, such as dispersed populations, in both the rural and urban context.

Since the launch of the SmarterTravel policy the Government launched the SmarterTravel Demonstration Project Fund in May 2009. The objectives of the fund are as follows:

• To assist the development of demonstration projects that can deliver smarter travel outcomes at both a national and local level, achieving real and measurable changes in peoples travel choices and behaviour.
  
  
• To assist the development of demonstration projects that reduce the environmental impact of travel.
  
  
• To increase the capability of organisations to deliver sustainable transport.
  
  
• To raise public awareness and acceptability of sustainable travel and transport issues.

Application details can be found on SmarterTravel.ie, and the deadline for applications is 9^th September 2009. 

In addition to this, the Government plans to launch a SmarterTravel Demonstration Areas competition in Summer 2009. The successful areas will receive significant funding to facilitate their development into sustainable transport areas. The scheme will run over 5 years, and these areas will become exemplars for implementing the SmarterTravel policy on the ground. Again, further information on this scheme will be available at smartertravel.ie.

Transport 21 and Sustainability

Transport 21 provides for total capital funding of over €34 billion in transport over the next ten years, with about €16 billion dedicated to investment in public transport. This record level of investment in public transport will provide choice and an alternative to the private car, particularly in the major urban areas, thereby encouraging a modal shift from the private car to less polluting and less energy intensive forms of transport such as public transport.

Over the period of investment, public transport capacity will almost double in the Greater Dublin Area with:

• Expansion of Luas
  
  
• DART extensions
  
  
• Two Metro lines
  
  
• A doubling of Park and Ride facilities and bus priority schemes
  
  
• New cycling paths, improved pedestrian facilities, and traffic management support measures.

The national road network will be significantly upgraded under Transport 21,  removing bottlenecks, reducing congestion and improving journey times. This will play an important role in improving the efficiency of the transport sector, and it will be positive from an energy-use and an emissions perspective.

Aviation Emissions

As provided for in Directive  2008/101/EC GHG emissions from aviation will be included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012 and legislation to give effect to the Directive  must be in place by 2^nd February  2010. The Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government proposes to bring the Directive into Irish law on a phased basis. There will be an initial set of Regulations  to facilitate primarily the submission of monitoring and reporting plans to the Environmental Protection Agency who will be the competent authority for the Directive and Regulations. It is envisaged that these Regulations will be made by the end of August 2009.  The second phase will provide for the transposition of the remaining provisions of the Directive.

We also continue to work within the EU tp progress the Single Europeon Sky initiative, which seeks to restructure the air navigation system in Europe in order to enhnce capacity and promote efficency and with this in mind we are working to deal with performance and environmental challenges. It is important that Air traffic management must contribute to sustainable aviation. Aircraft should be able to follow the shortest routes with optimised flight profiles. Integrating en-route and airport operations through a holistic network approach will reduce unnecessary noise and emissions.

Maritime Emissions

We continue to contribute to EU and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) advances which protect human health and the marine environment from ship-sourced pollution. In light of developments at EU level, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government introduced regulations in 2008 that ensure the sulphur content of marine fuels will be reduced from the present maximum of 1.5% by weight to a max of 0.1% from January 1st 2010. The new 0.1% level applies to inland waterway vessels and vessels at berth in port.

Under regulations being prepared at present, to implement new IMO provisions on the prevention of air pollution by ships, marine fuels for use on board ships engaged in international shipping will be permitted a sulphur oxide content of less than 3.5% by weight, from 01 January 2012, the present limit being up to 4.5%. These regulations will make further provisions improving emission controls from ships engines during the period 2012 to 2020, further contributing to the protection of human health and the environment.

Biofuels and Alternative Fuels

Biofuels offer the potential to reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions associated with the transport sector, reduce Irelands reliance on imported fossil fuels, and stimulate the agricultural sector which can potentially grow and provide the raw materials for biofuels production. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) is responsible for the promotion and development of Irelands renewable energy policy.

As set out in the Energy Policy Framework, the Bioenergy Action Plan and the Programme for Government, the Government is in the process of introducing a biofuels obligation to ensure that a certain percentage of the transport fuel used in the state by 2010 consists of biofuels. This obligation scheme will be a key component in achieving a 10% penetration of renewable energy in transport by 2020, to which the Government has committed under the proposed new EU Renewable Directive. This type of regulatory mechanism is increasingly being adopted across the EU and generally supplants earlier and more direct means of supporting biofuels, such as excise tax relief schemes. The biofuel obligation scheme will allow for a gradual uptake of these new fuel supplies and will adopt the new sustainability criteria which will come with the new binding EU targets. This type of mechanism has been chosen because it can provide the certainty that industry needs to invest, while ensuring that the consumer is not burdened with much higher fuel costs.

DCENR carried out a public consultation on the issue of a biofuels obligation in late 2008, and are currently in the final stages of preparing to bring the finalised proposal to Government, ahead of its introduction in 2010.

Eco-driving

Eco-driving addresses personal driving style and encourages people to drive in a way that delivers benefits in terms of road safety, savings in fuel consumption (with cost savings for the consumer) and therefore reductions in polluting emissions such as greenhouse gases. Eco-driving essentially means smooth and safe driving at lower engine revolutions. Many studies have shown a strong relationship between eco-driving, improved fuel economy and reductions in emissions. This improvement in fuel economy and emission savings is often quoted as up to 20% compared with average driving behaviour.  Tips on eco-driving can be found at the  Sustainable Energy Ireland webpage (SEI Motoring Tips) and at www.ecodrive.org, an EU funded programme to promote eco-driving.

Electric vehicles

One of the primary roles of the Governments electric vehicles strategy will be to ensure that Ireland is at the forefront of developments in this field. On a practical level, the most immediate reflection of this is reflected in the Governments aim to ensure that electric vehicles make up 10% of the transport fleet by 2020. Based on the current size of the national fleet, this would equate to around 230,000 vehicles by 2020.

A number of factors make Ireland ideal for the deployment of electric vehicles, such as the relatively limited distances travelled by motorists, and the ready availability of electricity generated from renewable sources. For these reasons, electric vehicles offer a real opportunity to dramatically reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the transport sector (generally considered one of the more intractable sectors in which to accomplish this). Moreover, they also offer the opportunity to reduce imports of fossil fuels, improving our security of supply situation. Finally, this dynamic and rapidly growing sector also offers a range of new enterprise and employment possibilities, both in terms of research and development and industrial production.

To ensure that Ireland is in the forefront of electric vehicle deployment, and that the full range of opportunities are pursued to the full, an electric vehicles working group was set up, chaired by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, involving all of the relevant Government Departments and agencies and commercial semi state bodies. This working group had a series of sub groups, dedicated to exploring different aspects of the issue, each chaired by the relevant Department. These groups covered elements like enterprise opportunities, fiscal supports and infrastructural requirements. The final report of this working group will be presented to Government shortly.

Most recently the Government and ESB have announced that they have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Renault-Nissan alliance to promote the introduction of electric vehicles in Ireland, which will ensure that these vehicles are offered for sale here as soon as they are available, while also ensuring that Irish utilities and Government are fully appraised of the latest developments in electric vehicle technology.

Additionally, Sustainable Energy Ireland is conducting a €500,000 pilot scheme to assess the suitability of Ireland for electric vehicles and to demonstrate and test various infrastructural systems. Importantly there is a wide range of electric vehicles in the final stages of testing and it is clear that there will be a very significant number of these on the market in the coming years, with 2011 likely to see a surge in the range of vehicles offered for sale, both full electric vehicles and plug in hybrids. Making sure that the Irish motorist will be able to take advantage of the benefits offered by electric vehicles is central to Government policy in this regard.

Useful Links

Smarter Travel 

National Bikeweek 09

Dublin Transportation Office

One Small Step Campaign

Department of Environment Climate Change

Sustainable Energy Ireland

Environmental Protection Agency

Work Place Travel Plans

GetIrelandActive

littlesteps

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Renewable Energy Division

EU Commission Directorate-General for Energy and Transport

EU Commission Directorate-General for Environment

Transport, Environment and Health Policy Integration Resource

AA Fuel Price Survey