Kilkenny City Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan

Closed27 Feb, 2023, 18:00 - 8 May, 2023, 23:59

Welcome to the consultation page on the Kilkenny City Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan

The SUMP is a strategic plan that will be designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in the City and its surroundings for a better quality of life. This plan will see the implementation of a vision, objectives and specific measures that relate to the movement of people in the city, such as the design of the streets, integration of public transport and safer walking and cycling infrastructure. The measures will be designed to make the City a vibrant, more user friendly, healthier and sustainable city for people. The plan process will take place over 12 months, due to be completed by Quarter 4 2023.

Click here to view the most recent report on the draft SUMP vision, objectives, and measures!

See Frequently Asked Questions here

What is a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan?

A strategic plan designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings for a better quality of life. It builds on existing planning practices and takes due consideration of integration, participation, and evaluation principles.

It is a strategy, in that it proposes a coherent set of measures that are designed to realise a long-term vision and specific objectives.

Community Involvement Throughout Plan Process

Sep 2022: Focus Group 1

Stakeholders from across the city, representing statutory and community organisations, businesses, employers and residents were brought together and the process was launched. The rationale was explained, background information was presented and the vision was brainstormed by the group.

Nov 2022: Public Consultation 1

Background information was presented in the format of visual display boards in an exhibition style consultation in The Medieval Mile museum open to the public. Staff from Kilkenny County Council were available to answer questions. Facilitators from Connect The Dots recorded all suggestions and documented conversations on the overall vision. Further consultations took place with the Public Participation Network and the secondary schools.

Q1 2023: Focus Group 2

Feedback was gathered from the stakeholder group on the proposed vision and objectives that had emerged through the public consultation. Measures were brainstormed by the stakeholders under each objective.

Q2 2023: Public Consultation 2

The vision and objectives will be presented, feedback will be gathered and measures will be discussed.

Q3 2024: Additional Focus Groups

Additional focus groups will be held as required to develop measures in detail.

Q4 2024: Final Public Consultation

Possible pre-planning workshops prior to statutory processes

Current Urban Mobility Patterns in Kilkenny City

Note: These figures are based on data from the 2016 Census, prior to the introduction of the Kilkenny City Bus Service. Since the introduction of the City bus, the numbers using the services have grown, there are now over 20,000 journeys taking place every 4 week period on the inter-city bus service.

The most common mode of transport to work is Motorised Transport at 65%
In 2022, 254,403 passenger trips took place on Kilkenny City Bus service
22% travel by Foot, 4% use Public Transport & 3% Cycle (CSO, 2016) Prior to introduction of City Bus
Over twice as many men cycle than women
Greater numbers of women walk
Number of school age cyclists dropped from 40% to 3% from 1996 to 2016
Average car ownership is 1 or more cars per household but in parts of the city, over 50% of the population do not own a car

Why Do We Need a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan?

A Vibrant City:

Studies have linked the quality of public spaces to people’s perceptions of attractiveness of an area, contributing towards their quality of life and influencing where they shop. Well-planned improvements to public spaces can boost footfall and trading by up to 40%, walking and cycling projects can increase retails sales by 30% (The Pedestrian Pound, 2018).

Independent Journeys:

Safe streets, designed for people, encourage independent journeys for all, children, young people, people with reduced mobility and older adults. Increased independence reduces the need for escort journeys and thereby travel demand.

Equality:

Public realm improvements can ensure that those who need to are able to walk, cycle or get the bus to a range of local services, such as schools, health services, employment or shops. Increased space for public transport, walking and cycling provides safe transport options for people who have no access to a car or cannot drive because of age, ability or cost.

Transport Emissions in Ireland:

Ireland’s transport carbon emissions have become the second largest source of CO 2 emissions by sector (IEA, 2022 ).
Ireland’s goal is to half its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Replacing car journeys, where possible, with active transport/walking and cycling will help reach this target.

Health & Wellbeing:

A study concluded that people who commute by bicycle have a:
- 52% lower risk of dying from heart disease
- 40% lower risk of dying from cancer
Air pollution is associated with poor physical & mental health (World Health Organisation)
Walking 30 minutes a day can increase sleep quality & mood and decrease stress, anxiety & depression
Reducing car-dependency and providing other mobility can create a safer, cleaner living environment for all.

Current Transport Infrastructure in Kilkenny City

Existing Public Transport

Regular train service to Dublin and Waterford
New city bus service with two routes every 30 minutes
Private operators on inter-urban routes and demand response services in more
No formal transportation hub
No bus priority

Existing Shared Services

E-bikes share scheme in operation with over 40 parking spots
Go Cars available in 2 locations

Existing Cycle Network

Cycle routes consist mainly of on-road cycle lanes with no segregation
No cyclist provision at junctions
Strategic city cycle network presented here

Existing Walking

There are opportunities in Kilkenny for increased permeability to reduce walking distances
Any reduction in traffic volumes creates a safer pedestrian environment

Existing Parking

Currently 4,500 car parking spaces in within 10 mins of city core
Cars tend to take up disproportionally more space than their modal share. Reallocating road and parking space to public transport, cycling and walking increases mobility options for non-drivers, encourages users to shift from cars to more space-efficient modes and thereby helps to achieve equity and efficiency objectives.