The Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) will shape the development of our city for the next 20 years and beyond. It is now open for one last round of public consultation (closing this Friday 10th June).
In order to ensure delivery LSMATS needs incremental targets and effective monitoring with appropriate governance
Transport impacts every facet of our lives, from health to community interaction, from our ability to meet our climate goals to the vitality of our city as a place to do business, live and entertain.
The Limerick Cycling Campaign and the Limerick Pedestrian Network have been heavily involved in stakeholder engagement around LSMATS, and we have seen the strategy improve dramatically since the first draft. The current draft has the potential to deliver an exciting future for our city
Our Concern
The LSMATS vision for Limerick needs to be made real, and our grave concern is that this vision will not be implemented. This fear is not unfounded: our two previous strategies – “Smarter Travel, A Sustainable Transport Future 2009-2020” and “Limerick Metropolitan Cycle Network Study 2015” failed to deliver the majority of their goals. For example, the proposed cycle network map in LSMATS is almost exactly the same as the proposed map in the undelivered Cycle Network study from 2014. Almost none of the vision was delivered.
We are very concerned that the same thing will happen again. We are worried that LSMATS will be another ambitious strategy document that sits on a shelf while carbon targets are missed, our children’s health is damaged, and the transport network our city needs is not delivered.
How do we make a difference this time? We need to learn from previous failures and include STAGED TARGETS and an effective monitoring regime.
The OECD Environmental Performance Review for Ireland (2021) reports on previous policy failures and identifies the need for targets and an effective implementation structure.
What can we learn from previous non-delivery failures?
The OECD Environmental Performance Review for Ireland (2021) reports on previous policy failures and identifies the need for targets and an effective implementation structure. The Department of Transport’s review of the Smarter Travel policy identified that monitoring of policy for the previous 10 years was not carried out effectively.
More recently, the Office of the Planning Regulator insisted that the new Development Plan for Limerick must have “an effective monitoring regime for the implementation of the… sustainable transport strategy with modal share targets in particular.” In response, the Council added LSMATS to the Development Plan.
LSMATS without targets and an effective monitoring regime will not meet the Office of the Planning Regulator’s recommendation.
In order to ensure delivery LSMATS needs incremental targets and effective monitoring with appropriate governance, regular reviews and feedback loops to keep the project on track.
The Ask
The current revised draft of LSMATS now includes targets, this is good news.
The Problem, there is little or no information on how those targets will be monitored or delivered over time.
Targets are what make visions tangible, urgent, and real. Indicators provide transparency and accountability. Simply put – indicators tell us what’s happening on the ground and the pace at which it’s being delivered. And we need your help to demand them.
We are requesting the inclusion of the following measures
- Identify multiple performance indicator metrics with clear fixed indicator points that align with achieving the 2040 targets and measures set out in the current draft of the document.
- All identified measures in the strategy should have an accompanying delivery metric with fixed interval milestones for the duration of the project
- Define methods and the office or team responsible for independent monitoring and reporting on targets.
- Identify the office or Individual office holder responsible for the delivery of identified targets
- Mandate the publication of a clear implementation plan to align with milestones throughout the lifetime of the strategy
Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to help make LSMATS count for Limerick. Let us know if you have any questions.
You can make a submission here
Madeleine Lyes – Chair of Limerick Pedestrian Network
Conor Buckley – Chair of Limerick Cycling Campaign
The Limerick Cycling Campaign has collated its observations on the second draft of LSMATS under the following headings
The second and final draft of LSMATS is open for public consultation until Friday 10th of June 2022
- LSMATS needs stepped targets and an effective monitoring regime
- LSMATS needs to do more to meet climate goals
- LSMATS Transport and Public Health
- LSMATS Education and Schools
Making a Submission is easy, you set up an account and make a submission here
