Since 2021, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has partnered with the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust to publish a collection of reports known as the Walking and Cycling Index. The latest report has been launched across Ireland’s five major metropolitan areas (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford) and offers real data and practical case studies on travel across the country.
While the Index focuses primarily on active travel, it also includes key insights into the sentiment and expectations around infrastructure development, particularly in the Dublin report.
According to Dublin’s Walking and Cycling Index, 71% of residents support physically separated cycle tracks. 88% of residents support improving and increasing local off‑road walking, wheeling and cycling paths. 70% of residents travel by walking or wheeling five or more days a week.
While the BusConnects Dublin Core Bus Corridor (CBC) project is designed to significantly improve bus priority and deliver faster, more reliable public transport journeys, it also brings important benefits for all road users.
The programme includes upgrades to road layouts that support smoother travel for motorists, with substantial investment in active travel infrastructure. Enhanced footpaths, safer junctions, and continuous cycle facilities form a key part of BusConnects, ensuring that pedestrians and cyclists enjoy safer, more accessible routes throughout the network.
Alongside 230 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes, the programme will see 200 kilometres of cycle tracks developed, 500,000 square metres of new and improved footpaths across our streets, 1,700 new cycle stands, 5,500 new streetlights and enhanced greenery and public spaces. These upgrades are designed to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer, more accessible and optimised for all.
These improvements reflect a clear alignment between the BusConnects Dublin programme, and the priorities expressed by Dublin residents in the Index. The integration of high-quality walking and cycling facilities alongside bus priority measures strengthens the overall transport network and supports more sustainable travel choices.
Head of BusConnects Infrastructure, Aidan Gallagher, says,
“One of our key priorities is making sure that the upgrades delivered through BusConnects Dublin complement the wider transport network. The improvements to walking and cycling included in the project help create safer, more accessible routes that support all types of everyday journeys.”
To learn more, view the full collection of reports at the following link Walking and Cycling Index 2025.