Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

283 Chapter 11: Environment and Transport Table 11.2  National transport mode share (%) in 2012, 2017 and 2022 Transport mode 2012 2017 2022 Car 70 71 69 Walking 20 18 19 Bus/coach 4 5 4 Truck/van 2 1 4 Train/DART/Luas 1 1 1 Cycling 2 3 2 Other 1 1 1 Source: NTA, 2023a DART, Dublin Area Rapid Transit system; Luas, Dublin tram system Table 11.3  Transport mode share (%), nationally and by region, 2022 Transport mode National Rural areas Dublin city and suburbs Greater Dublin Area Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick Large urban towns Other urban districts Car 69 79 53 61 57 71 73 Walking 19 8 31 25 31 19 19 Bus/coach 4 4 7 5 5 3 3 Truck/van 4 7 1 2 2 3 3 Train/DART/Luas 1 – 2 2 – 1 – Cycling 2 – 5 3 3 1 1 Other 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 Source: NTA, 2023a –, not applicable; DART, Dublin Area Rapid Transit system; Luas, Dublin tram system The data in Table 11.3 demonstrate that in rural Ireland almost 80% of all trips are made by car (NTA, 2023a). The results from the cities demonstrate that car trips account for a lower share of journeys than in rural areas and that walking has a large part to play in cities, accounting for almost one-third of all trips. Our vehicle stock. On average, 108,585 cars were sold each year between 2012 and 2022 (Figure 11.3) in Ireland. Car ownership levels in Ireland are 458 cars per 1000 people, which is 16% lower than the EU average of 532 cars per 1000 people (Eurostat, 2023a). Public transport use in Ireland is aligned with the EU average (Eurostat, 2023b) and reflects a stable reliance on buses and trains, particularly among third-level students, among whom the bus is the most common mode of travel to college (25%). These trends may suggest a slow and gradual shift away from car dependency and an increasing preference for sustainable transport options among the younger population. Two notable changes in the car fleet in the decade 2012– 2022 was the increase in sales of electric and hybrid cars (Figure 11.3), while at the same time there has been an increase in sales of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) (Figure 11.4). While the volume of ‘large SUVs’ sold is still small compared with the total volume of cars sold in Ireland, between 2012 and 2022 this category increased by 367%, which may be a cause for concern.