Ireland needs to unlock the current suppressed potential for cycling — transport, mental and physical health, and environmental benefits, and also more wide-ranging positives of mass cycling. These wider benefits include giving teenagers and parents freedom from the parent taxi; freeing many people across the country from the restrictive options of driving or depending on infrequent public transport; and supporting “last mile” trips to high-quality public transport.

We need to normalise cycling as a commuter choice. An announcement such as this, coming from a motoring organisation such as AA Roadwatch, could also help to ease the "them and us" mentality that exists at the moment between motorists and cyclists, while at the same time highlighting one of the many benefits of commuting by bike. Getting more people to commute by bike will benefit all other road users as it will lead to less congestion in our cities and towns. Cycle commuting also has the potential, long term, of saving millions of Euro for the health services, both because of the improved air quality and the fact that studies continually show, people who commute by bike are healthier than the general population. And there is safety in numbers: the more people that choose to cycle as their preferred commuting method, the safer it gets.

We want people to be able to enjoy Dublin City Centre without the hustle and bustle of motor vehicles. By creating just a few car-free streets every Sunday we could enable people of all ages and abilities to walk, cycle and enjoy themselves in the heart of Dublin City. Car-Free Sundays have been trialled successfully in cities around the globe including Paris, Mexico and Singapore. The 'Paris Sans Voitures' (Paris Without Cars) initiative was started by the city's Mayor to tackle chronic air pollution. The first car-free day in Paris resulted in a 40% drop in air pollution and a 50% fall in noise pollution. Each year in Ireland, up to 1,600 premature deaths are linked to air pollution, with motor vehicle emissions making up a substantial proportion of that pollution. The Car-Free Sunday concept can also be combined with free public transport for the day to encourage people to leave their cars at home. A large-scale switch to public transport, or to cycling and walking, could ease congestion in Dublin and improve the city for everyone. We are calling on Dublin City Council to realise the potential of Car-Free Sundays and to begin trials of the concept in the summer of 2018.

This is an important issue for all to remove inequality for those with a disability when accessing public transport. Unequal access to transport limits a person greatly as transport can unlock a range of opportunities for an individual with it allowing ease of access to necessities in life such as education and employment. Irish Rail is failing to provide adequate accessible transport for all, with people with a disability facing many barriers when using train services. These include: • 4 hour notice required to Irish Rail for those who need assistance getting on and off a train; • Reliance on staff being present for use of a manual ramp to allow a passenger who needs assistance to get on and off the train; • Lifts being left broken in train stations for long periods of time; • Visual and sound aids on board not working. Other issues which were highlighted from respondents in a study mentioned in 'Transport Access For All 2012' include: • More space for wheelchair users and better toilets on board; • Automatic ramps so wheelchair users could board independently; • A pass in place of tickets for disabled people because it can be difficult standing in queues. • Signposting of wheelchair accessible routes. Improvements need to be made to allow ease of access for people with a disability. We need to lobby and have support from the public in order for these improvements to come into action. The needs of the disabled should not be over looked when considering transport and they need to be met by the Minister of Transport, Irish Rail and relating bodies. Inaccessible transport for those with a disability widens the gap of inequality in our Irish society. The current infrastructure in place for Irish Rail does not match up to the modern technology available in our world today. 4 hours notice and unreliable lifts need to be a thing of past. Improvements need to happen and need to happen now.

There are a significant amount of houses and businesses which would benefit from this simple bus route extension, approximately 1000 citizens and 3 major retail outlets. Housing Estates In Foxwood, there are 80 houses with 200 more planned. In Carrig An Aird there are 88 houses. With an average of 3 people per house, this is around 864 people who could avail of this service. Businesses The Range, Musgraves and Tesco have large retail outlets at this location. They would certainly benefit from having a bus route nearby. Future Planning There is a nursing home planned near the site of the Musgrave Business Park, which will likely house up to 250 older citizens. A bus route will be required for these citizens to get access to the city center. http://www.eplanning.ie/WaterfordCCC/AppFileRefDetails/17418/0 ACTION On behalf of the Residents Association of Foxwood, and all the businesses and residents in surrounding areas, we would like to petition the council and Bus Eireann to arrange a suitable bus stop extension to one or both the 601 and 603 bus routes. This will improved provide transport options for up to 1000 residents directly, and access to 3 major retail outlets in the area. It will also be of benefit to Bus Eireann, as they will gain extra business and provide better service to this part of the Waterford Community. In order to do this, we would like to gather support from the community in the form of signatures on a petition. The more names on the list, the higher the chances are we can get this bus route extension. Thanks for your support, together we can make this a great area for all citizens and businesses! Best Regards, Andrew Deegan Chairman of the Foxwood Residents Association, Waterford.

After an 11-year delay, the Government recently took the final steps towards ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. However, it turns out that the government has for now abandoned its pledge to at the same time ratify a key protocol that goes along with the Convention. The protocol gives people with disabilities a real chance to achieve their rights in cases where the government is failing them. The protocol allows groups or individuals to make complaints to the UN to ensure the government does what it says it will do. This government has effectively turned its back on 640,000 people with disabilities in this State by failing to ratify this protocol.

The Office for Public Works (OPW), a government agency, is proposing to build the new Garda Operations Center over the route of the greenway in Kilmainham. The greenway will be a pedestrian and cycle only route from the gates of the Irish Muesem of Modern Art (IMMA) at Royal Kilmainham Hospital along the river Camac to Heuston station. The OPW does not have planning permission yet. They don't have to build over the greenway route. They are only using 29% of their proposed site for the new building. They can move the building off of the greenway route protecting it for local residents and visitors to our city. This greenway will provide a safe and friendly environment for locals and visitors to move freely in this part of the city. It will connect key cultural and tourist destinations in our city such as Kilmainham Gaol, the Irish Museum of Modern art to the rest of the city. It should not be built over. "I avoid cycling in the area. It's too unsafe. My only option is the busy N4 dual carriageway alongside Heuston station. This greenway will give me a safe alternative to cycle to work" -- Kevin, local resident "This greenway will give me a safe and quick option to walk from my train at Heuston to my patients. I currently walk alongside the Luas tracks and it just doesn't feel safe" -- Sarah, nurse at St. James' Hospital Sign this petition to show your support. There is more you can do. Follow these steps to show more support: https://www.rivercamacgreenway.com/support

The new Metro-North Project is a vital piece of infrastructure connecting the growing town of Swords, with Dublin Airport, Dublin City University and Dublin City Centre. The existing roads and bus infrastructure is at breaking point and the need for a high speed and environmentally friendly rail solution for Swords and the M1 corridor is long overdue. With the Government due to announce a €100 billion Capital Plan in the next couple of weeks, it is vital Metro-North is included as a priority piece of infrastructure to be progressed. The National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland commenced preparatory work on the planning and design of the project over the past two years and a dedicated Steering Group was set up by the previous Government to push Metro North forward. We are now at a crucial point and we want to see the detailed planning process get underway in the first half of this year if construction is to begin by 2021. For that to happen Minister Donohoe needs to give the go-ahead now! Let the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure know that this is a long overdue priority for the people of Swords...Let's have our voices heard!

Galway, with a population of 80,000 people, is a beautiful, thriving, bilingual city in the west of Ireland, situated on the Corrib, and the gateway to the biggest Gaeltacht in Ireland. The people of Galway however face the daily challenge of serious traffic congestion which impacts enormously on their quality of life. In addition, Galway is projected to increase its population to 124,000 people by 2040 so urgent action must be taken to improve the public transport system in the city. We also face a real challenge in fulfilling our commitments under climate mitigation legislation which oblige us to take both immediate and long terms steps to reduce our emissions. A light rail system, as part of an integrated public transport system, will go a long way towards achieving these objectives. It will also provide positive opportunities for sustainable urban renewal. We believe that the provision of a light rail service in Galway has to be an integral and essential part of the solution. Building on the dedicated work of the Gluas team, the matter was raised in the Dáil in November, 2017 with the Minister for Transport with a view to providing a light rail service in Galway. The Minister’s response is interesting and is worth a look: https://goo.gl/paGKDT He issued a challenge to the people of Galway to show that there is a demand for light rail, and if we can show that demand, he is willing to discuss and review the situation. That challenge has led to this petition campaign which started on the streets of Galway on the 13th of January 2018 and which will continue for 8 weeks, with the specific aim of collecting 30,000 signatures. If you haven’t signed the petition already on the streets of Galway, please show your support by signing now. Now is the time to act.

With the impending uncertainty of Brexit and following a commitment from the Irish Government to stand up for the rights of citizens in the North, opening a passport office would improve infrastructure, service delivery, investment and confidence. 2017 saw over 82,000 passport applications come from the North alone. The call to open an office is supported by a broad range of community organisations, political parties and media outlets, and would go some way in meeting the growing demand for passport applications and renewals from the Six Counties.

This train would provide an important morning link from the Bagenalstown area to Dublin. The 6.00am Waterford train is widely used and there is a real need for improving the service in the area. There is currently only a single morning service that can be used by commuters. The additional stop would have a minimal impact on arrival time (approx 2mins) and the 7.10am train currently carries less passengers than the 6am or 7.50am train. With Dublin rent pressures more and more workers are undertaking long commutes small changes like this can have a big impact on a rural area.

An Taoiseach is our representative abroad. When he accepts prejudice, racism and bigotry, it shames the people of our country. We feel that such an alliance is not good for our country's reputation and undermines our relationship with other countries. Trump is a despicable human being. A point must be reached where falling at the foot of a powerful man, at the expense of our values and morals and international reputation is not acceptable! "'Shame'rock for Trump: Not in our Name"