Transport 21 - The remake

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I saw a couple of bullet points and realised straight off what it was. Dempsey announces everything about 6 times to make it look like it is new.

Well what I was hoping for would be an appropiately scaled down transport strategy, outlining exactly what CAN and what CANNOT go ahead. Concrete figures, concrete facts and tough decisions outlined.

That's what the plan should have been.

Cycling, walking key to sustainable transport strategy

TIM O'BRIEN, Irish Times
Fri, Feb 06, 2009

MORE THAN half a million motorists are to be persuaded to switch to more sustainable forms of transport, including walking and cycling, under the Government’s long-awaited sustainable transport strategy launched yesterday.
The strategy – “Smarter Travel, a Sustainable Transport Future” targets mainly commuters but extends to all car-users including shoppers and parents who drive children to school.
The 12-year timeframe to 2020 aims to cut CO2 emissions by four million tonnes.
In Dublin , a “bus only gate” is to be installed in July and a congestion charge is now likely within three years, according to Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.
Where questions arise over the capacity of the public transport system, deficiencies are to be made up by improvements due under Transport 21, and increasing the effectiveness of the two State bus companies.
In the regions, an as yet unconfirmed city – probably Galway – is to be chosen to pilot a range of measures which include co-ordinated delivery of park-and-ride facilities and quality bus lanes, walking and cycling routes and car-free zones.
Improvements to the Bus Éireann network are to be developed to drive demand and services. However, there was bad news for regional airports, which will find it increasingly hard to get public service subventions from Government as the motorway and rail network to regional cities improves. The only exception is likely to be those serving the northwest, particularly Donegal.
By 2020 some 10 per cent of the State’s vehicles are to be electrically powered, the plan said.
Mr Dempsey cited a number of problems with the bus companies in terms of readable timetables, “real time information” for passengers, reliability of service and certainty of journey times, and web-based ticketing. He said these would be addressed to improve efficiency and ultimately to expand services.
A key target, according to Mr Dempsey. was “to get kids out of mum’s car and walking, cycling or taking public transport to school”. Last year 75,000 pupils in the “Green Schools” scheme used sustainable transport: “By 2020 I want it to reach 265,000 schoolchildren right around the country,” he said.
The Government is to set up regional “e-working centres” to cut commuting times, Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan said.
Efficiencies would improve attractiveness and could overcome problems of declining bus passenger numbers, he said. For example, where a cross-city bus journey currently takes 40 minutes, if this could be cut to half or less, then two similar journeys could be made in the same time, delivering an equivalent efficiency of two buses.
Integrated land use and transport planning are central to Government strategy, according to both Ministers, who stressed the need for local authorities to “buy into the plan”. But Mr Dempsey warned that while he preferred “buy in”, he would not be reluctant to enforce regulations or new legislation if this did not happen.
He instanced cases where bus lanes came to the outskirts of towns and stopped before the centre “because councillors did not have the courage” of their convictions in designing the routes.
Mr Dempsey said total investment would be in excess of €4 billion over the period of implementation, but that this included some crossover from Transport 21.
Mr Ryan said he believed Mr Dempsey would enforce the strategy with rigour: “He will not only talk the talk, but walk the walk,” he said. Mr Ryan described the strategy as “the beginning of a major change. It represents a fundamental reform of our transport systems. It is the first step in changing how we move and how we live.” A cyclist, he commended the bicycle as a social mode of travel.

© 2009 The Irish Times

Bards wrote: »

FYI Waterford doesn't have any PSO routes

But has received millions in other grants and is expecting millions more despite the miniscule numbers using it. All well and good if you believe in the airport for every county approach favoured by our present Gov i suppose.

Bards wrote: »

Waterford operates on a commercial basis same as Dublin, Cork & Shannon and these receive grants also. Without grants none of the airports (Except Dublin) would survive.

By your logic there should only be one airport in the country

Hardly commercial when they are reliant on the exchequer for any improvements wanted/needed?
http://www.munster-express.ie/business/waterford-airport-faces-tax-and-runway-challenges/

Ireland as a territory only needs one or two Airports of any large scale, the usual trick of duplication of resources plays well to the locals in Knock, Kerry, Galway and Waterford but having multiple tiny airports dotted around the country does no one any favours long term.

If memory serves me correctly it is not that long ago that Waterford Airport had NO scheduled services to or from it. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Bards wrote: »

and Cork got €160m for the new terminal building. again hardly commercial when they get handouts like that

http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0182/S.0182.200602070009.html

Well no it didn't thats the problem with Gov policy, it has to raise half the construction costs itself despite being promised otherwise, meanwhile every two bit airport gets PSO routes and other generous grants despite their insignificance.

Example:

Waterford Airport 144k
Kerry 145k
Galway 270k
Sligo 38k
Knock 630k

So thats 5 airports, and millions per year in PSOs and other grants.

Cork has 3.3m passengers, Shannon a similar number, small time compared to Dublin or internationally but far and away above anything the above airports are capable of. Yet money is wasted on supporting small airports in practically every constituency. But at least it looks good for the local pols and they get the votes.