The Walking and Cycling Index, which looks at people's walking, cycling, and wheeling (using wheeled mobility aids) habits in the metropolitan regions of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick/Shannon, and Waterford, was released by the National Transport Authority (NTA) on Tuesday.

In every one of the five regions, over 50% of individuals reported walking five or more days a week, and 15% reported cycling at least once.

The NTA, local governments, and sustainable transport nonprofit Sustrans collaborated to conduct the poll, which revealed staunch support for initiatives to enhance Dublin's walking and bicycling infrastructure. Almost 75% of respondents said they would be willing to see more money spent on these projects.

There was also consensus on the need for improved sidewalk surfaces, additional rest areas along roadways, and ways to make walking and wheeling more accessible.

To encourage cycling, it has been advised to implement signed bike lanes on calmer streets and bike lanes on roads that are physically isolated from both pedestrian traffic and vehicles.

Even if installing these bike tracks meant that there would be less space for other vehicles, the majority of respondents responded that they would still support their implementation.

Across the five locations evaluated, the survey concluded that walking, cycling and wheeling trips instead of driving avoided 160,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, or 2,200 flights from Dublin to London.

The NTA calculated that the combined yearly economic impact of walking, bicycling, and wheeling throughout the five metropolitan regions was €3 billion.

According to NTA CEO Anne Graham, “it's evident from the most recent Walking and Cycling Index that more people in Ireland's five largest cities want to cycle and walk every day.”

“By encouraging people to make active travel a part of their daily journey, we can all play our part in creating a more sustainable future.”