The Department of Transport defines Active Travel as ‘travelling with a purpose, using your own energy’. Walking, cycling, wheeling and using a non-motorised scooter to make journeys to work, school or the shops, for example, are all considered forms of Active Travel. Policies relating to recreational walking and cycling fall under the remit of other Government Departments, including the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Department of Health and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).
Government investment in Active Travel has increased significantly in recent years. This reflects the commitments made in the National Sustainable Mobility Policy , the Climate Action Plan , and other Government policies to encourage modal shift, where possible, away from private car use and towards more sustainable transport modes such as walking or cycling.
The Department of Transport works closely with the National Transport Authority to deliver, together with local authorities, a wide-ranging programme of Active Travel infrastructure. Details of the 2022 Programme can be found here. In addition the NTA, together with An Taisce, is delivering the Safe Routes to School Programme , which aims to support walking, scooting and cycling to primary and post-primary schools and creating safer walking and cycling routes within communities. Other Active Travel related programmes funded by the Department of Transport include Bike Week , Smarter Travel Workplaces and Campuses , CycleRight Training and the [external-link https://merrionstreet.ie/minister_obrien_minister_ryan_announce_the_successful_applicants_under_the_3_million_pilot_bike_and_e-bike_upcyclinginitiative 170623.shortcut.html | Pilot Bike and E-Bike Upcycling Initiative ], which is overseen by DRCD and administered by Pobal.
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