South Dublin County Council (SDCC) has welcomed the announcement of Active Travel National funding for 2026, following a visit by Minister O’Brien alongside representatives from the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to the Dodder Greenway.

The allocation includes €19,250,000 in funding for SDCC to support the continued delivery of active travel infrastructure across the county.

The announcement was made at the Dodder Greenway, a joint project between South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council. The greenway forms a strategic active travel route running along the Dodder Valley, linking Bohernabreena in the Dublin Mountains with Ringsend in Dublin city centre. The scheme is funded by the NTA through the Active Travel Investment – Cycling and Walking Programme.

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Active travel investment in South Dublin is delivered through initiatives such as the Cycle South Dublin programme, which began in 2021. To date, the programme has delivered cycle tracks and greenways across 68km of the council's road network, improving connections to schools, workplaces and local amenities. The long-term aim is to deliver 260km of cycle tracks across 134km of road network by 2029.

The funding also supports improvements to roads and junctions near schools under the Safe Routes to School programme. So far, 27 schools across the county have benefited from enhanced road markings, pedestrian crossings and revised street layouts designed to improve safety for students and the wider community.

Deputy Mayor of South Dublin, Cllr. Trevor Gilligan, said: "We're delighted to welcome the minister to the county to announce further funding for Active Travel. South Dublin has benefited greatly from Active Travel funding, this funding is key to the Council achieving our corporate plan goal of promoting sustainable and accessible transport initiatives and to encourage a shift towards their use.

"Through programmes like Cycle South Dublin, we're transforming how our citizens can traverse around the county, making cycling, walking and wheeling safe and accessible to all. So, it's a welcome announcement that funding will continue to be available to continue this transformation."

Since 2021, South Dublin County Council has received more than €95 million in funding from the NTA and TII to support the delivery of active travel projects. The council said it looks forward to using the 2026 allocation to continue expanding sustainable transport and active travel infrastructure throughout the county.