AROUND HALF of people would like to walk or wheel more, while a third would like to cycle more, a survey of people in five Irish cities has found.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has today published the findings of the largest-ever survery of walking, wheeling and cycling in Ireland. 

At least 1,100 people aged over 16 were surveyed in each city – Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway. 

It found that in all the metropolitan areas in Ireland, more than half of adults walk five or more days a week, while at least 15% cycle once a week.

Approximately one in two residents want to walk or wheel more, and approximately a third would like to cycle more.

The report also found that walking and cycling talks 680,000 cars off the roads every day in the five cities. 

There was support in each area for more government spending on walking and wheeling, ranging from 74% in the Dublin Metropolitan Area to 68% in the Waterford Metropolitan Area. A similar level of support for spending on cycling was also noted ranging from 77% to 61%.

Across all five of the Irish metropolitan areas, residents gave similar answers as to what would help them walk or wheel more.

This included better footpath surfaces, more parks and green spaces close to home, and nicer places along streets to stop and rest.

Residents gave similar answers as to what would help them cycle more – infrastructural improvements such as traffic-free paths through parks or greenways, signed cycle routes along quieter streets, and cycle tracks along roads physically separated from traffic and pedestrians.

Across residents in all the metropolitan areas, there was strong support for building such cycle tracks even where that means less room for other traffic – ranging from 88% to 69%.

The report found that every day, 530,000 return walking and cycling trips are made in the Dublin Metropolitan Area by people who could have used a car.

It said that if these cars were all in a traffic jam it would tail back 2,500km.

71% of residents in Dublin walk or wheel at least five days a week, 25% cycle at least once a week, the report found. 

A total of 72% of people in Dublin support building cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians, even wherre that means less room for other traffic. 

In Cork, the report found that walking, wheeling, and cycling save 18,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the city each year, which is equivalent to about 227,000 residents taking flights from Cork Airport to London Heathrow Airport.

A breakdown of the five Walking and Cycling Index 2023 reports can be found here. 

“It’s clear from the latest Walking and Cycling Index that more people in Ireland’s five largest cities want to cycle and walk each day,” NTA CEO Anne Graham said. 

“By encouraging people to make active travel a part of their daily journey, we can all play our part in creating a more sustainable future,” Graham said. 

She said that NTA will “continue to accelerate” efforts to roll out walking and cycling infrastructure in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and other areas across Ireland.