10 Minute Towns |Access i b i l i t y & Framework Repor t
7.1.1 Data Collection and Validation
For example, the three towns of Carlow, Ennis, and Tralee are each situated on national rail and bus routes, and convenient access for residents to these routes opens connections to a wider range of employment, services, and social and leisure activities in other towns and cities such as Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny, Killarney, Galway, and Dublin. In addition, each town serves as a hub for its hinterland, and public transport routes between larger towns and their surrounding area can both open access to services and activities that are not available in the smaller towns and villages and facilitate onward connections to regional and national destinations.
Two main pieces of geographic data are required to conduct the analysis, namely:
• The street network of the town; and • The location of facilities in the town, such as healthcare, education, retail, public transport and leisure. The analyses have indicated the key importance of obtaining comprehensive information for the existing street network and facilities in the town, as the desktop analyses were only based on information from government open data portal (i.e. data.gov.ie), as well as OpenStreetMap (OSM) data. It is important to obtain the most up-to-date data from site visits or from Local Authorities to compile robust data and avoid multiple updates of the street network and location of facilities. If OpenStreetMap (OSM) is to be used for the existing street network, it is recommended that a detailed review of the network is undertaken through a combination of local knowledge, site visit(s) and desktop analysis (e.g. Google StreetView). It is also important to obtain information on future infrastructure schemes for the town from sources such as local plans and county development plans. Adding future infrastructure schemes to the existing road network helps to inform understanding of the maximum potential that could be achieved for the 10-Minute Town concept.
7.1.3 Understanding Baseline Conditions
The study included an analysis of the baseline conditions which are as follows:
• Demographics (population and car ownership); • Location of existing services (i.e. healthcare, education, retail, leisure and public transport); • Current travel patterns (i.e. means of travel for the town); and • Catchment analysis (i.e. 10-minute walking and cycling catchment for each existing service or facility). The analysis above gives an understanding of the existing situation, as well as any trends in the town regarding demographics, travel patterns and walking and cycling catchment. Additionally, it gives an indication of underlying issues that may act as a constraint to achieve the “10-Minute Town” concept. An example during the analysis was that Carlow appeared to have an adequate cycling catchment overall; however, census data showed that only 1% of the population travel by bike. Therefore, it appears that although the physical infrastructure may be adequate, there may be underlying issues that need to be addressed which may need potential interventions such as promotion of cycling usage in the town.
7.1.2 Wider Public Transport Connectivity Analysis
The value of integrating analysis of public transport interchanges and connections to the wider region within the 10 Minute Town should be noted. It is important to understand the wider public transport connectivity as the concept of a 10-minute town is important not only for those living and working within a given town, but also for facilitating access to public transport routes to a wider range of destinations.
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