Limerick is Ireland's sustainable travel demonstration city. But Limerick County Council needs to do more to meet its commitments under the €9.3m programme funded by the Department of Transport.

That's according to An Taisce, The National Trust for Ireland, which is highlighting a series of planning decisions in which Limerick County Council has failed to secure the pledges it made under Smarter Travel (see below).

An Taisce has drawn attention to the "crossing out" of a progressive transport provision regarding a proposed development at the National Technology Park near the University of Limerick (see below).

As originally included, the developer was asked to "outline how walking, cycling and public transport will be supported and provided to the extent that these will rise to 55% of the total commuter journeys to work". This policy was designed to fulfil the promises made by Limerick's Councils and UL under the Smarter Travel programme. However, the text was then scribbled out by a more senior colleague, contrary to that same €9.3m investment plan.

What is worrying is that this apparent failure to implement the €9.3m Smarter Travel investment could become part of trend, according to An Taisce, undermining the multi-million euro investment by taxpayers (see further below).

An Taisce's four submissions (detailed below) seek to achieve a balance between different modes of transport as set out in the Smarter Travel policy.

"Councils receiving €9.3m to implement a Smarter Travel programme but then not implementing it on the ground is not something that should continue", said James Nix, An Taisce's Policy Director.

An Taisce's submissions [see list below] relate solely to transport. Under Limerick's Smarter Travel Programme commuting by car is to be reduced to 37% in demonstration areas known as hubs. Currently, commuting by car in Limerick averages 51% and well thought-through travel plans for new developments are vital to bringing this figure to 37%.

Two of the planning cases referred to below concern proposals within the National Technology Park, a Smarter Travel Hub under the €9.3m investment awarded to Limerick.

ENDS

For further information, please call:

Charles Stanley-Smith, Communications Chair, An Taisce Tel: +353 87 2411995

James Nix, Policy Director, An Taisce Tel: +353 86 8394129 email: [email protected]

An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland

www.antaisce.ie