Ó An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail
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Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has welcomed a wide-ranging discussion on the future of public transport in Ireland at the first Rural Ideas Forum of 2022.
The event, organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development, is part of the delivery of the Our Rural Future Rural Development Policy.
Attendees heard about a range of plans that will transform rural transport, connectivity and accessibility for many more people and towns, including Connecting Ireland, which will see a 25% increase in rural bus services and will ensure that 70% of people in rural Ireland will have access to a public transport system that provides at least three return trips to the closest larger town.
This means that 100 rural villages, will, for the first time, benefit from frequent and reliable public transport. It also heard about the importance of community-led transport and the potential to expand the already successful Community Transport Scheme.
Minister Ryan also spoke about the new “Pathfinder Projects” that he has asked local authorities throughout the country to identify.
These are innovative sustainable mobility projects and initiatives which can be delivered within the next two years, and which can make an immediate difference to how people move around our rural towns and townlands.
Opening the event, Minister Ryan said:
“My department’s Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, in tandem, with the Our Rural Future – Rural Development Policy, is strongly committed to improving public transport services in rural areas and to piloting new transport initiatives for people of all ages and abilities living there. Our vision for rural Ireland is ambitious, and one that is a key priority within the Programme for Government. As people start to return to work, school or college after the summer holidays, we are seeing an increasing demand for public transport. But, it’s not enough that this demand is concentrated in our large towns and cities, we have to ensure that people in smaller towns or in townlands around those towns can also benefit from high quality, frequent public transport. That’s the vision and that’s the aim, and I am confident that we will, together, help reverse decades of neglect in this area and leave instead a legacy that will ensure that rural transport can continue to develop and expand.”
The webinar gave a glimpse into the exciting opportunities ahead, and supports the collective goal of developing an integrated, accessible, and sustainable network of public transport offerings across Ireland, especially in rural areas.
The event, which included transport providers, rural support and development groups and residents of rural communities, heard from National Transport Authority’s Director of Public Transport Services Tim Gaston, Deirdre de Bhailís of Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub, Seamus Boland, chief executive of Irish Rural Link and Fiona O’Shea, TFI Local Link Manager, Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim on a range of topics relating to the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and the provision of transport services in rural Ireland.
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Ideas Fora are a series of events covering the range of policy areas in Our Rural Future. Attendees have the opportunity to hear from sectoral experts and stakeholders and to participate in workshop based discussions. Three online events were held in 2021, with recordings available on the DRCD website, with today’s event the first in the 2022 series.
The next event, which takes place on 9 September in An Ceathrú Rua, Co Galway,on the subject of An Ghaeltacht Ghlas, will be the first in-person Forum event. Registration is now open for that event.
The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan is a major national public transport initiative funding by the Department of Transport. Managed by the NTA, the aim of the plan is to increase public transport connectivity, particularly for people living outside the major cities and towns. Connecting Ireland proposes to expand the public transport network in rural areas and to increase service levels via the rollout of new and improved services planned on a phased basis from 2022 to 2025.