Environmental Indicators Ireland 2016

• The number of licensed vehicles in Ireland increased by 181%, from 915,000 to 2.6 million, between 1985 and 2015.
• Private cars accounted for the majority of this growth with an increase of almost 1.3 million vehicles between 1985 and 2015.
• The number of goods vehicles licensed has grown more than threefold from 93,000 in 1985 to 331,000 in 2015.

• Ireland had 436 passenger cars per 1,000 population in 2014. This was the 10th lowest in the EU. Luxembourg had the highest ratio at 645 and Romania the lowest at 247.

• On July 1^st 2008, the basis of motor taxation charges changed from engine size to the emission rating of the vehicle.

• The proportion of new private cars registered in emission bands A and B increased from 12% in 2005 to 95% in 2015, while the proportion in emission bands E, F and G fell from 37% to 1% over this period.

• Road Freight transport in Ireland peaked in 2007, when there were just under 300 million tonnes carried, over 18.7 billion tonne-kilometres and 2.3 billion vehicle kilometres travelled. Activity levels fell significantly in the next five years before increasing again in 2014. In 2014 there were 112.5 million tonnes carried, 9.8 billion tonne-kilometres travelled and 1.3 billion vehicle kilometres travelled.

• Relative to 2006 Ireland had the second lowest tonne-kilometres and lowest vehicle-kilometres travelled of EU member states for which data were available in 2014. Tonne-kilometres in Ireland in 2014 were at 56% of the level in 2006 and vehicle kilometres were 52% of the 2006 level.

• Rail usage increased in Ireland between 2000 and 2007, growing from almost 1.4 billion  passenger-kilometres to just over 2 billion passenger-kilometres. Rail usage then fell to 1.6 billion passenger-kilometres in 2013, before rising again in 2014 to 1.7 billion.

• Bus and coach travel in Ireland increased by 36% in the period 2000 to 2009, from 256 million passsenger kilometres travelled in 2000 to 349 million in 2009. Bus and coach travel then fell between 2009 to 2012 before rising again in 2013 and 2014.

• Rail passengers in Ireland travelled on average 375 kilometres per capita in 2014. Austria at 1,408 had the highest kilometres per capita travelled in the EU in 2014.

• International air passengers travelling through airports in Ireland reached 31.3 million in 2007. Passenger numbers then decreased by 25% between 2008-2011 before rising in 2012-2014.

• International passengers travelling to and from sea ports in Ireland reached 3.1 million in 2010.  Passenger numbers were lower in subsequent years with 2.8 million travelling to and from Irish seaports in 2014.

• In 2014, Ireland had 5.7 international air passengers per capita compared with the EU average of 1.4 passengers per capita. The EU countries with the highest number of passengers per capita were Cyprus and Malta (two other small islands) with respectively 8.7 and 10.1 international air passengers per capita.

• Between 1986 and 2011, the proportion of females aged 15 years or over driving to work has increased from 27% to 66%. The proportion of females travelling to work as car passengers fell from 16% to 5% in the same period.

• The proportion of males aged 15 years or older driving to work increased from 42% to 55% between 1986 and 2011.

• There were 12% of women aged 15 years or over who walked to work in 2011 compared with 8% of working men aged 15 years or older. Just under 14% of men aged 15 years or over travelled to work by Other means in 2011 compared with 0% of women.

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