Minister for Public & Commuter Transport, Alan Kelly, has announced the provision of over €8.5 million of sustainable transport grants for Cork City.

The funding, administered by the National Transport Authority (NTA), will be used to remove pinch-points, improve public transport, cycling and pedestrian links throughout the city.

The main funding will go towards implementing new access arrangements to Kent station which will comprise a new entrance fronting onto Horgan’s Quay along with new bus, cycle and access arrangements to improve connections to the City centre. Construction on this will start in summer 2014 and will cost approximately €1.8million. Between the new entrance and improving the links between Kent station and the city centre, €2.9 million will be spent improving access to the station.

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The Minister said: "Currently less than 7% of Cork city commuters use the bus or the bike to get to work. That has to improve. Since 2011 and following this investment, the numbers using bus services have grown by more than 8% so we are beginning to see a real impact in the city but obviously we want to see it grow more and more.

"All of this funding is designed to improve the public transport and cycling offering within Cork city and suburbs. While they are improving, the overall public transport numbers and cycling numbers for Cork city are not as good as they could be. That is why this funding is so important."

€1.7 million will be spent in 2014 completing the Parnell place improvement scheme which will re-organise and re-design the traffic lanes, improving the street environment and allowing for a circulatory route for buses to access the station.

There are also plans to complete the cycle route between UCC and Cork City centre, which started construction last year with €1.6million being spent throughout 2014.

The final phase of the Carrigaline Green route will also be completed with a 2014 cost of €850,000 while €400,000 will be spent implementing an improved city centre movement strategy designed to alleviate traffic in the city.

(CD/MH)