The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in Northern Ireland has published its new active travel delivery plan, including a priority programme valued at up to £280m.
Everyday Active Travel: The Urban Delivery Plan sets out how the department – led by infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins – plans to make walking, wheeling and cycling ‘the easiest and most enjoyable travel choice' for shorter journeys within towns and cities.
In the plan, 140km of routes are highlighted as priorities for the department to deliver over the next decade, with the DfI stating that it will connect ‘over 280,000 people to key everyday destinations'. This is expected to include 118 schools, 33 town centres and 17 public transport hubs.
This ‘priority programme' is expected to represent an investment of between £140m and £280m.
The plan also features nearly 1,000km of additional routes for future delivery in an effort to provide planners and developers with ‘a long-term vision for a more sustainable transport network' within Northern Ireland's communities.
Minister Kimmins said: ‘Public engagement has played a significant role in shaping this Plan. Consultation has shown strong support for prioritising connections to schools, town centres, and public transport, as well as clear endorsement of our people centred and safety focused design principles. Valuable local knowledge has also helped to shape the routes included in this plan and will help to ensure that the schemes we bring forward for delivery in the coming years meet the needs of local communities.
‘While this is a Plan for urban settlements, I am also committed to making active travel in our rural towns and villages more attractive and accessible and will ensure that a fair allocation of active travel funding is directed towards pedestrian enhancements for the benefit of rural communities.'
The full plan can be found here.
