Transport section of Greens renewed Programme for Government

6. Building for the Future: Infrastructure
The Government will prioritise capital spending in those areas which contribute to our sustainable development. The provision of public transport will prepare us for a postworld where oil supplies are contracting. We will build flagship modern transport connections linking people to their places of work. Properly planned public transport gives back to commuters that most valuable of commodities - time. We want to reduce journey times and congestion, which bring economic and social costs. We will
develop a first-class infrastructure for the modern age.

Plan for National Recovery: Review of Investment
We will publish a revised public investment programme by December 2009, ensuring that sustainability and climate change are at the heart of our plan for national recovery. The programme will set out our revised priorities for investment.

Transport
Having successfully focused on the delivery of major roads infrastructure in Transport 21 over the past five years, the emphasis in new projects will shift significantly to public transport. Following the completion of payments for the major motorways programme in 2011, the ratio of expenditure on new Transport 21 projects between public transport and the national roads programme will be 2:1 in favour of public transport.

This Government will continue its programme of major reforms in the public
transport area, which started with the DTA Act. This is now being advanced further with the Public Transport Regulation Bill and which will be finalised with the further proposals agreed by the parties to this Review as outlined below.

We will vigorously pursue the delivery of the Government’s “Smarter Travel - A Sustainable Transport Future” and the recently published “Cycle Framework Policy” document.

We will ensure that Public Service Obligation payments to Irish Rail, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, are consistent with the policy in “Smarter Travel – A Sustainable Transport Future”.

· We will ensure that consumer needs and the integrity of the public transport network are at the centre of consideration of applications for all bus route licences in future.

· We will deliver a transparent, faster, more integrated, efficient system for granting bus licences.

· We will work with bus companies to maximise the efficient and effective
utilisation of the existing fleet by ensuring the implementation of the Deloitte Report in full, nationwide, to:
o Eliminate duplication of services
o Create even headways between departures
o Reduce the “bunching” of services
o Provide reliable direct services where people are working, living and
shopping
o Improve passenger information on a real time basis and timetable information in a more understandable format.

By end 2010 we will have Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) at over 500 bus stops in Dublin and Cork in addition to having such information available on SMS and the Internet throughout the country. We will extend this RTPI to bus stops in Limerick, Galway and Waterford in 2011.

As promised in our “Smarter Travel” policy, following the completion of the rapid transport studies in Cork, Galway, Waterford & Limerick cities, we will, starting in 2010 provide a high quality integrated, accessible public transport service to within 800 metres of every home.

Rail
This Government is committed to the provision of a safe and efficient network of rail Services. Construction is nearing completion or well underway on Phase 1 of the Western Rail Corridor, the Kildare Line upgrade, Navan (Phase 1) and the Dublin city centre re-signalling project. Work will continue on the subsequent phases of the Western Rail Corridor and Navan projects for earliest possible delivery.

LUAS
Construction is nearing completion or well underway on the Cherrywood, Citywest and Docklands extensions. Planning and design will continue on Metro West and the Bray, Lucan and Cross-city LUAS lines with a view to earliest possible delivery.

Bus Rapid Transit
Following significant growth and innovation in continental cities, we expect that bus rapid transport will play an increasing role in transport provision. We will fast track and prioritise the Dart interconnector (and its associated electrification and rolling stock projects) and Metro North so that they are completed by 2016. We will introduce an allowance per tonne for rail freight by rail in line with climate change objectives.

Roads
· We will complete the Major Urban Routes (MIU) in 2010.
· We will review the completion dates and appropriate road standard of the
remaining 94 road projects at the design stage or earlier stage of development in light of the economic circumstances, falling road usage and our climate change objectives. We will ensure new design standards for national secondary routes to take account of current economic and environmental circumstances.
· This Government will not advance the Eastern Bypass
· We will continue to invest in enhancement and maintenance of the regional and local road network to protect the existing investment and service new housing, industrial and commercial development and to open up areas for tourism development by improving road access.
· We will introduce preferential parking/charging spaces for electric cars.
· We will investigate the potential for the introduction of a viable road pricing strategy, including overcoming technical and timing difficulties. Revenues should be ring-fenced for the provision of public transport and sustainable transport modes.
· We will complete our investment programme to ensure that non-national roads are properly signposted.
· We will allocate a significant portion of the budget on road improvement projects to the provision of new footpaths to allow pedestrians to walk in greater safety and comfort.

Road Safety
During the term of this Government Ireland has become one of the leading road safety countries in Europe. We will build on the strategies already in place by supporting the work of the Road Safety Authority. We will implement in full the Government’s Road Safety Strategy thus saving over
400 lives during the term of this Government.

Public Transport Reform
We will ensure that the National Transport Authority can fulfil its role as a strategic planning, procurement and regulatory Public Transport Body which will establish the service levels required and procure those services in an open and competitive manner from service providers, both public and private. The role of the directly-elected mayor of Dublin at the National Transport Authority will be central to building strategic support for transport in Dublin.

Integrated Ticketing
This Government will implement an Integrated Ticketing System to cover all modes of transport. We will develop proposals for a zonal fares structure.
A single Smart Card will be rolled out for testing early in 2010. By the end of 2010 an electronic purse “Pay-As-You-Go” will be available to all Dublin Bus and LUAS passengers in the Greater Dublin Area and the Smart Card will extend to all ticketing products by 2011. Iarnród Éireann will join the Dublin Bus-LUAS system by 2011. By the end of 2011 Bus Éireann, LUAS, Bus Átha Cliath, Iarnród Éireann and some private bus operators will be in the system.

Rural Transport
· The Rural Transport Programme has been extended to every county in Ireland. We will explore the provision of a full-scale transport system in rural areas using the network expertise of Bus Éireann, the physical infrastructure and personal resources of the school transport system and the financial resources currently being spent on transport by the HSE and the Department of Education and Science.

Aviation
· We will ensure maximum aviation connectivity and maximum competition
amongst airline operators in the interests of consumers.

Cycling
· We will reverse the CIE policy of excluding and limiting bicycle carrying capacity on interurban trains and buses and ensure all new train units have a more extensive bicycle carrying capacity.
· We will develop a Bray to Balbriggan cycle and pedestrian route, and other similar routes such as Oranmore to Barna, as major tourism and commuter facilities.

aliveandkicking wrote: »

They are mentioned but bizarrely they are in the Bus Rapid Transit section. (see the second post in this thread)

Bus Rapid Transit
Following significant growth and innovation in continental cities, we expect that bus rapid transport will play an increasing role in transport provision. We will fast track and prioritise the Dart interconnector (and its associated electrification and rolling stock projects) and Metro North so that they are completed by 2016.

We will introduce an allowance per tonne for rail freight by rail in line with climate change objectives.