Walking, wheeling and cycling worth €3 billion to Irish cities, new survey finds

The annual economic benefit from people walking, wheeling and cycling in the five cities across Ireland is more than €3 billion, a new survey has found.

According to the 2023 Walking and Cycling Index, around 680,000 cars were taken off the road every day during last year as a result of those engaging in active travel.

The report, published by the National Transport Authority in partnership with Sustrans, is based on opinions expressed by people living in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

It found the majority of people living in the five cities would like to walk, wheel or cycle more and that most of those surveyed want the Government to shift investment away from roads projects and towards active travel infrastructure or public transport.

This research also found that walking, wheeling and cycling in the five cities prevents 680,000 car trips every day bringing climate, public health and economic benefits.

It is estimated that walking, wheeling and cycling saved a total of 160,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions across the 5 Metropolitan areas last year, equivalent to 2.2 million flights from Dublin to London

Wheeling is defined as the use of wheeled mobility aids such as wheelchairs or mobility scooters.

A representative sample of more than 1,000 residents were surveyed in each of the five cities.