FUNDING to provide Active Travel staff in Clare to the end of 2030 has been approved by the Department of Transport.
An announcement of guaranteed funding for Active Travel staff in local authorities across Ireland for a further five years was made by Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien (FF) and Minister of State Seán Canney (IND).
No exact breakdown on the allocations per local authority has been provided by the Department. In Clare, the Tulla Rd Active Travel scheme commenced at the end of October and is expected to last 18 months. The inability to secure Active Travel funding for projects in rural Clare since 2023 has caused frustration among elected members of the Council.
In 2020 the Department of Transport significantly increased funding for walking and cycling infrastructure projects. The Department advised local authorities, through the City and County Management Association, that funding would be allocated to establish dedicated teams of active travel staff. This funding was guaranteed until 2026, to increase the capacity of local authorities to deliver active travel projects around the country.
Since then, over €1 billion has been invested in active travel projects and approximately 240 staff have been recruited across all 31 local authorities. This has assisted with the delivery of over 1,000 km of walking and cycling infrastructure in the past five years. The active travel staff are funded by the Department through the National Transport Authority (NTA), who oversee the Active and Sustainable Transport Investment Programme.
The National Development Plan Transport Sectoral Plan, published in November 2025, has continued the commitment of €360 million per annum for Active Travel and Greenways until 2030.
Dedicated Active Travel staff in local authorities will support delivery walking and cycling infrastructure to the end of the decade.
Minister O’Brien stated, “These teams have become a critical part of the delivery of walking and cycling infrastructure projects across the country, including Safe Routes to School projects. It is important that local authorities have the assurance of continued funding over the next five years. I would like to commend the NTA for their continued focus on training and upskilling local authority staff to ensure the construction and delivery of high-quality active travel projects in our cities, towns and villages. I look forward to seeing the impact of this investment through the continued development of Ireland’s walking and cycling network”.
“Safe and high-quality active travel infrastructure encourages healthy, active commutes to work, school and daily errands, and protects vulnerable road users as they walk, cycle or scoot. The local authority active travel teams, overseen by the NTA, have delivered over 1,000km of walking and cycling infrastructure over the past five years. Following this announcement of continued funding today, these teams can now focus on establishing a network of walking and cycling infrastructure that can be used for transport or recreation without having to rely on a car,” commented Junior Minister Canney.
