Five Cities Demand Management Study

Technical details

Customer

Department of Transport, Ireland

Dates

2019 – November 2021

Missions

Transport Planning Consultant

Location

Ireland

Perimeter

Strategic Transport Modelling; Transport Service Quality Improvement; Net Zero Transport & Decarbonisation; Behavioural Change; Transport Demand Management; Social & Market Research; Stakeholder Consultation; Transport Planning; Transport Policy & Strategy;

Activity

Cities & Urban Mobility; Active Travel

The Customer Challenge

A major study for the Department of Transport examining potential Transport Demand Management (TDM) measures in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

These measures aim to influence and change travel demand patterns, and encourage more efficient and sustainable transport use.

The development of the Five Cities Demand Management Study is a result of the urgent requirement to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions and address rising concerns in relation to urban air quality. In addition, the Study reflects the need to manage the impacts of urban congestion and improve the quality of life for people living, visiting, working and studying in our cities.

The Study arose from Action 81 of the 2019 Climate Action Plan:

“Develop a regulatory framework on low emission zones and parking pricing policies and provide local authorities with the power to restrict access to certain part of a city or town to zero-emission vehicles only. Examine the role of demand management measures in Irish cities, including low emission zones and parking pricing policies.”

The SYSTRA SOLUTION

The Department of Transport appointed SYSTRA Ltd to undertake a study to identify and review the drivers for, and potential management measures of vehicle movements in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

These measures, known as Transport Demand Management (TDM), aim to influence and change travel demand patterns, and encourage more efficient and sustainable use of transport resources.

The Five Cities Demand Management Study provides a focused and evidence-based approach to identify appropriate TDM measures to manage transport demand in Ireland’s cities – using insight from SYSTRA’s extensive international best practice review, national and local stakeholder engagement and supported by detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis (including fleet modelling) to assess their impact in reducing emissions, tackling congestion, improving air quality, and improving the overall urban environment of the five cities.

SYSTRA Approach

The three priority TDM measures recommended for implementation across the five cities are:

• Develop and embed the concept of 15-minute neighbourhoods through national and local plans and strategies, providing resources to incentivise their implementation through national funding/grants schemes.
• Enhance delivery of the National Planning Framework.
• Public Parking Controls.

The Study also includes a set of user-friendly TDM Toolkits to enable stakeholders, such as Local Authorities, to quickly identify appropriate demand management measures for their local contexts.

The results