AQW 38618/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 20/01/2026
Answered On Date: 04/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQO 2939/22-27, whether she has completed any (i) risk assessment; and (ii) rural needs assessment, of her active travel programme, to encourage children to cycle to schools in rural communities.

Answer:

Since the introduction of the Climate Change Act, the main focus of my department with respect to encouraging more people to walk, wheel or cycle has concentrated on developing the Active Travel Delivery Plan and enhancing my department’s design guidance for the delivery of active travel schemes.

A rural needs impact assessment was carried out on the draft Active Travel Delivery Plan. The prioritisation of high-quality active travel infrastructure in rural areas requires a different approach to that applied in an urban context. Once work on the Active Trave Delivery Plan is complete, officials will consider how best to prioritise active travel investment to maximise benefits in rural areas.

As outlined in my answer to AQO 2939/22-27, my department is also currently developing a toolkit of measures that can be implemented around schools to encourage walking, wheeling or cycling for the school run. Some of the measures designers might consider include reduction in speed limits, greater pedestrian priority in the vicinity of schools, or measures to discourage inconsiderate parking that can cause difficulties for those walking, wheeling or cycling. Risk assessments are carried out as part of the design process for any individual project of this nature brought forward.