The percentage of people coming into Dublin city centre using sustainable transport modes hit an all-time high last year, according to National Transport Authority’s (NTA) Canal Cordon report, 2024.
74.1% of 192,500 people used sustainable modes coming into central Dublin
According to the report, of the 192,563 people coming into central Dublin 142,600 were using sustainable modes such as public transport, cycling, walking or taxis. That represents 74.1% of all people making inbound journeys – the highest ever figure. It’s an increase from 73.8% in 2023 and from 60.7% when the first report was compiled in 2006.
The Canal Cordon Report by NTA with Dublin City Council
The Canal Cordon Report is undertaken in November every year, by NTA in partnership with Dublin City Council and involves conducting traffic counts at 33 locations around the cordon formed by the Royal and Grand Canals. The objective is to calculate the number of people and vehicles crossing the Canal Cordon into the city centre between 07:00 and 10:00 on a typical day.
Numbers using public transport and the number of buses into the city have increased
The number of buses coming into the city has increased to 1,718 in 2024 from 1,669 in 2023. This figure had been largely static since 2021, but with DCC’s City Centre Transport Plan which gives greater priority to bus movements in parts of the city centre taking effect, it has increased appreciably.
The numbers using public transport has increased to 111,274. This includes an increase of rail users from 29,978 in 2023 to 32,241.
The downward trend of cars has continued
The downward trend of cars has continued, with 38,930 private cars coming to the city centre in 2024, compared to 39,698 the previous year. With the exception of the 2020 when there were Covid restrictions in place, this represents the lowest ever number of cars recorded in the Report. The 2006 figure was 58,664.
The popularity of Active Travel continues to surge. 10,646 cyclists were recorded in 2024 up from the 2023 number of 9,406. Pedestrian numbers are on the way up too with 18,564 walking into town in 2024 compared to 17,820 the previous year.
More people cycling, walking, using public transport and travelling to the City Centre
Eoin Farrell, Senior Land Use & Transport Planner, NTA said: “The Canal Cordon Report findings would indicate that everything seems to be moving in the right direction. There are more people cycling, more people walking, and more people using public transport and most importantly more people travelling to the City Centre.
“It reinforces the view that with the proper interventions in terms of services and infrastructure and investment, people will make the decision to shift to sustainable modes.
“It’s a gradual process, but we do believe that we are making progress. As we continue to implement the GDA Transport Strategy by rolling out the redesigned bus network, commencing work on BusConnects Core Bus Corridors, turning DART+ into a reality, enhancing Luas services, and investing in cycling infrastructure, this progress will continue.”
Full details here: NTA Canal Cordon