Statistical Yearbook of Ireland 2021: Part 3 Travel, Agriculture, Environment and COVID-19

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Link to release: Vehicles Licensed for the First Time

In the first eight months of 2021, there were 88,618 new private cars licensed for the first time compared with 71,873 in the same period in 2020. This represents an increase of 23.3%. However, figures remain 14.4% lower over the first eight months of the year in comparison with 2019.

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Link to release: Vehicles Licensed for the First Time

Electric and hybrid cars continue to grow in popularity. Almost one third (33.0%) of all new cars licensed in the first eight months of 2021 are electric and hybrid cars, compared with 19.1% of new cars licensed in the first eight months of 2020. When referring to electric and hybrid cars that both plug-in and do not, the combined number of new electric and hybrid cars licensed in the first eight months of 2021 was 112.3% greater than those licensed in the same period in 2020.

Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Source: Transport Infrastructure Ireland

This analysis utilises traffic counter data from selected sites to examine the changes that have occurred in traffic volumes. Vehicles are counted when they pass over loops embedded in the road surface. The traffic counters distinguish between different vehicle classes. As road traffic patterns are subject to seasonality, data for each week is compared with the corresponding week in 2020 and in 2019.

Following the re-introduction of Level 5 restrictions on 27 December 2020, car traffic volumes dropped significantly at the beginning of this year. However, in line with the gradual lifting of travel restrictions car traffic volumes increased over the first half of 2021. 

Comparing data for week 35 (week beginning 30 August) to the same week in 2020 shows that the traffic volume of private cars was 11.8% higher. Car traffic volumes continue to remain below 2019 levels but the gap between 2021 and 2019 figures is gradually declining.

Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Source: Transport Infrastructure Ireland

The impact on HGV traffic of COVID-19 restrictions has not been as pronounced as for cars. In general, from June 2020 onwards HGV traffic volumes exceeded 2019 levels, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas.

Since the beginning of the year HGV traffic volumes have remained below January, February and beginning of March 2020 levels. However, this pattern has since changed. Data for week 35 (week beginning 30 August) shows that HGV traffic volumes are 3.3% higher compared with the same week in 2020.

Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Source: Transport Infrastructure Ireland

There were 99 fatalities on Irish roads in the first eight months of 2021 compared with 96 in the same period in 2020, an increase of 3.1% and compared to 86 fatalities in 2019, an increase of 15.1%. In August 2021 there were 24 fatalities on Irish roads compared with 15 fatalities in August 2020 and 8 fatalities in August 2019.

Note: data is provisional.

Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Source: National Transport Authority

The number of passenger journeys on public transport has dropped dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Since the start of this year public transport journeys have been increasing gradually but public transport journeys remain below pre-pandemic levels as onboard public service capacity continues operating at reduced levels.

Data relating to bus and rail journeys is presented in Table 36.6 and Figure 36.4.

Table 36.6 shows that for the week commencing 29 August, the total number of rail and bus journeys is 58.3% of those taken in early March 2020 (pre COVID-19). The number of bus journeys outside of Dublin in the same week is 65.4% of pre COVID-19 levels. The corresponding level for bus journeys within Dublin is 58.6% of pre-COVID levels.

The data indicates that rail was the mode of transport that was most severely hit since the onset of the crisis. In the week commencing 05 April 2020 the number of journeys undertaken by rail was 97.2% lower than it was in the first week of March of 2020. For the latest week under consideration (week commencing 29 August) the number of journeys by rail was 48.8% lower than pre COVID-19 levels. Please note that rail data includes passenger journeys on Intercity and DART services.

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Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Sources: Transport Infrastructure Ireland and National Transport Authority

Data on Luas journeys taken is presented in Table 36.7 and illustrated in Figure 36.5. Data for week 35 shows that journeys increased by 25.3% on the red line when compared with week 35 in 2020 but are still 47.9% lower than the same week in 2019.

For the green line in the same week, data shows that journeys have increased by 58,157 journeys compared with the corresponding period in 2020 but are still 50.2% lower than the same period in 2019.

Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Source: Dublin City Council

Dublin City Council operate cycle counters at five locations across the city to aid traffic planning and gauge demand for cycling. The cycle counter automatically counts cyclists passing in both directions and relays information to Dublin City Council’s traffic control centre. Data from these counters is presented in Table 36.8. Please note that data in Table 36.8 counts public holidays as off-peak.

The data for peak hours shows a different pattern to that of the off-peak data. The volume of cyclists on weekdays between 7am and 10am and from 4pm to 7pm decreased significantly when restrictions were most stringent last year.

The monthly volume of bicycles during peak hours in August 2021 was 17.1% higher than August 2020 but still 47.5% lower than August 2019. The monthly volume of bicycles during off-peak hours in August 2021 was 8.9% lower than August 2020 but 0.2% higher than August 2019.

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Link to release: Transport Bulletin

Air passenger data shows a dramatic fall in passengers handled by Irish airports due to COVID-19 restrictions. In the first seven months of 2021, over 1.7m (1,724,834) passengers passed through the main Irish airports, a drop of 73.5% when compared with the same period in 2020 and down by 92.1% compared with the same period in 2019.

There was an increase of 278,687 passengers in July 2021 for the main airports compared with July 2020, but numbers are still down by 82.4% compared with July 2019. Passenger numbers dropped in all five airports compared with 2019.

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Link to release: Transport Bulletin

The Revenue Commissioners collect statistics on the volumes of fuel clearances covered by excise taxes. Clearances reflect the excise duties paid on oil removed from tax warehouses. Clearances data provide a proxy for sales and the associated level of consumption but do not reflect actual consumption per se.

Clearances of autodiesel in July 2021 were 1.0% lower than in July 2019 and 5% higher than in July 2020.

There was an increase of nearly 7% for clearances of petrol in July 2021 compared with the levels in July 2020. July 2021 petrol clearance volumes were 10.0% below July 2019. See table 36.10 and figure 36.8.