TU Dublin postgraduate research: One in Five Limerick Towns are Transport Deprived
MSc in Sustainable Transport & Mobility graduate, Thomas Bibby, has produced dissertation research demonstrating that one in five County Limerick towns are transport deprived. The research was developed as part of the Research Techniques and Dissemination module on the part-time MSc in Sustainable Transport & Mobility. The research is to be presented at the 2022 Irish Transport Research Conference (www.itrn.ie), co-hosted by TU Dublin and TCD. The study examined demographic data from 45 out of 46 census settlements in Limerick, excluding Limerick City, according to mobility factors, such as the percentage of households that do not own a car.
In his paper, "Public transport deprivation in County Limerick and the development of an effective rural public transport network", Mr Bibby examines public transport in Co. Limerick by analysing the quality of public transport service offered in each census settlement in the county to identify any transport deprivation and opportunities for improvement. A number of metrics are proposed to benchmark the level of provision of public transport services in a rural context, and how this provision aligns with
car ownership rates. A proposed bus network and timetable is outlined that would give an ‘every village, every hour’ service to every census settlement in Co. Limerick.
The research has featured prominently in a front-page article by the Irish Examiner on 23rd August 2022.
Mr Bibby has also published an Op-Ed article focusing on the many transport and mobility challenges faced by communities as a result of poor policies and legacy of low investment. According to Mr Bibby: "We need to fix the problems in the system but we also need to reexamine our own attitudes. If we put people first, not cars, we can achieve significantly better outcomes for everyone."
Link to Irish Examiner Op-Ed article by Mr Thomas Bibby, MSc in Sustainable Transport & Mobility (2022), published in the Irish Examiner on 26th August 2022: Sustainable transport plan will fail unless we stop putting cars first (irishexaminer.com)