Walking for transport in Ireland: Policy recommendations from a nationally representative study
This policy brief provides recommendations to increase walking for transport in Ireland based on primary research.
Overview
Behavioural Insights for Policy series: Policy recommendations
Year: 2026
Topic: Sustainable mobility
Methodology: Quantitative research
Author: SEAI Behavioural Economics Unit
Description:
The Climate Action Plan outlines targets to reduce transport sector emissions by 50% between 2018 and 2030. Reducing car use and growing active transport are key components of this plan. With respect to walking, national policy and design guidance advocate for compact urban development alongside an expansion of protected, direct, and attractive walking networks to enable modal shift.
In this policy brief, we provide recommendations to increase walking for transport in Ireland. These recommendations are derived from a peer-reviewed study examining the factors that influence walking for transport in Ireland at both a national level and disaggregated by gender and region. For this study, we analysed 7,798 trips gathered over twelve months from January to December 2023 using Ireland’s Behavioural Energy and Travel Tracker (BETT).
Our recommendations relate to several areas that can influence walking for transport in Ireland: i) the design and planning of neighbourhoods, towns and cities; ii) the walkability of non-residential destinations; iii) the shelter and drainage of walking networks; and iv) the public lighting and passive surveillance of walking networks.
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