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22nd May 2018

Public transport usage in Dublin hit record high in 2017

Michael Lanigan

People driving private cars into the city has dropped on a massive scale, too.

The number of people using public transport in Dublin city centre has reached record levels, according to Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority.

In the latest figures published from the Canal Cordon Report 2017, it was found that there had been a notable surge in people using the bus, train or Luas every morning, while private cars had decreased.

Conducted over a series of days in November, the survey found that in total 107,160 people came into the city centre by bus, train or tram, which was the largest number since the Cordon count began in 1980. What’s more, it also reveals that over half of all journeys into the city in the morning are made on public transport.

Among the report’s other findings was the fact that 12,447 people cycled into the city centre, which is the highest number recorded, while walkers accounted for 25,000 people crossing the canal cordon. This means that the mode share for cycling comes to 5.9%, while walking is 11.8%.

In total, 70% of all inbound trips that crossed the canal cordon were made by a sustainable mode, which includes public transport, taxis, cycling or walking.

The report also found that in 2017, 147,166 trips crossed the cordon by sustainable modes in the three-hour AM peak period, while the number of people coming into the city via private cars has decreased from 65,000 in 2016 to 61,694. Having fallen from 40% in 2010 to 29.2% in 2017, this marks the first time that the mode share for cars has dropped below 30%.

Commenting on the results, Dublin City Council Owen Keegan CEO said: “Dublin City Council very much welcomes the fact that in 2017 more people than ever before crossed across the Canal cordon in the Morning Peak, the total numbers now recorded exceed the previous high recorded in 2006.

“Considering that this was achieved against a background of Luas Cross City construction, it shows the commitment of DCC and the NTA to multi-modal travel and particularly the incredible value of the additional bus priority measures in the City Centre implemented on the north and South Quays and the resultant reduction in journey times for bus users.”