Case Studies

Active Travel

TEAM

ORS Multidisciplinary Team

Sector

Infastructure/Transport

Public Sector

Related Services

Active Travel Design & Auditing

People To Contact

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Overview of service

Active travel is travelling with a purpose using your own energy, generally involving walking and cycling. Through structured funding, the Irish Government is supporting local authorities across Ireland to develop and promote active travel initiatives in their local communities.

The ORS Infrastructure Team is involved in several active travel projects nationwide:

Town & Village Renewal of Ballinagore, Co. Westmeath. Improvement of pedestrian infrastructure, tying together existing footpaths to improve pedestrian facilities, geometry improvements in junctions and school safety.
Cycleway design, Edenderry, Co. Offaly. The design of a 1km segregated cycleway connecting the greenway to a school, in favour of promoting safety amongst road users and sustainable travel in town.
Pedestrian crossing, Athlone. Design of extension of existing footpaths, installation of bus shelters on both sides of the road, dedicated cycleways and signalised pedestrian crossing on the R916 in Athlone.
Installation of 18 bus stops across County Meath. Extension of footpaths, installation of bus shelters and dedicated cycle lanes in order to promote public transport as a viable way of transportation as well as to incorporate the most up-to-date DMURS standards.

Multiple Safety Audits nationwide:

Improvements to major infrastructure junctions
Pedestrian crossings connecting greenways to national road networks
-Design and development of signage, road markings, integrated crossing facilities and coloured surfacing.
-Delimitation of entrances and exit points, tactile paving and dropped kerbs.
Pedestrian and cyclist bridges, the widening of paths, new coring points, reduction of speed limits and the construction of shared pathways.
Development of greenways and disused railway routes to connect many towns, villages and tourist attractions.

Project challenges

Engineering excellence

Expert engineering is an essential component in the overall approach to delivering high-quality active travel projects that are safe and attractive to use. ORS has a unique advantage in understanding the project requirements necessary to deliver successful high-quality active travel schemes. Our multidisciplinary approach combines our expert skills in civil engineering, road safety, quality auditing, environmental and surveying. ORS is currently involved in active travel schemes throughout Ireland, with multiple teams working across various stages of projects.

These stages include project feasibility, utility surveying, condition assessment, design and safety auditing. Our experience in transportation planning, design and safety auditing can help any project in identifying best practices in design, managing public road interactions, signage and wayfinding.

Planning and designing appropriate active travel infrastructure is essential to ensure that linkages are permeable, connected to desired lines, and safe. Engineering high-quality infrastructure has to consider environmental factors, including land ownership, drainage, public lighting, access, suitable surface materials and crossing points. Guidance documentation for engineers and planners includes the Design Manual for Urban Streets (DMURS) and the National Cycle Manual.