Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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133. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the plans he has to improve the standard of urban cycle lanes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53574/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Deputy will acknowledge that the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future sets out an ambitious and wide-ranging set of commitments in relation to active travel, supported by an increased multi-annual budgetary allocation amounting to some €1.8 billion over the lifetime of the Government.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the safety of all road users, particularly those who are most vulnerable such as cyclists and pedestrians, is at the top of my priority list as Minister for Transport.

I would point out that any new cycling infrastructure funded by my Department must be designed in compliance with the guidance and standards set out in the NTA's National Cycle Manual (NCM) which is currently being revised and updated. I expect the revised version of the NCM to be published by Q1 2022.

In tandem, my Department officials have recently convened a new Standards Working Group which is examining the various guidance and standards documents which should be taken into account by local authorities when constructing new walking and cycling infrastructure. These include the NCM, as well as the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland's (TII's) standards. The Working Group will seek to identify any gaps or contradictions between these various guidance documents to ensure that new walking and cycling infrastructure is designed safely and efficiently in order to encourage more people to use Active Travel transport modes over the private car.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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134. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has conducted a comparison of the Dublin Bikes scheme and the similar programme in counties Cork, Limerick and Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53670/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to Active Travel and public transport infrastructure. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the management of public bike schemes. Details regarding the investment in, operation of and expansion of existing and proposed bike schemes fall under the remit of the National Transport Authority (NTA), working in conjunction with the relevant local authorities.

Noting the NTA's responsibilities in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's questions relating to the various bicycle sharing schemes in our cities to the NTA for a more detailed reply . Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.