WRDA led Women’s Policy Group Calls for Greater Action and Inclusion in Draft Transport Strategy 2035
16 September, 2025 — The Women’s Policy Group (WPG), led by the Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA), has submitted a response to the Department for Infrastructure’s Draft Transport Strategy 2035, welcoming its alignment with key legislation but raising serious concerns about its lack of actionable detail and inclusive analysis.
In its submission, the WPG commended the Strategy’s alignment with the Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, recognising this as a positive step toward best practice. However, the group expressed disappointment at the absence of a clear action plan, timeline, and measurable outcomes, which are essential for tracking progress over the next decade.
The WPG also highlighted the Strategy’s limited commitment to enabling behavioural change, noting that while the need is acknowledged, there are few concrete actions proposed to make sustainable transport more accessible. The group criticised the Strategy’s investment priorities, which focus heavily on maintenance and fail to adequately support public transport development, including the omission of the All Island Rail Review.
A key concern raised was the lack of intersectional analysis. The WPG pointed out that the Strategy does not sufficiently consider how transport is experienced differently by various groups, including women, people with disabilities, and parents with young children. The only mention of women appears in the context of the Department’s role in the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Strategy, with no clear commitment to new actions or detailed plans for creating safer public spaces.
The WPG urges the Department for Infrastructure to revise the Strategy to include a robust action plan, clearer commitments to public transport investment, and a comprehensive intersectional approach to transport planning.
For further information, please contact:
Elaine Crory – Women’s Sector Lobbyist, WRDA – elaine.crory@wrda.net
Meghan Hoyt – Policy Assistant, WRDA – meghan.hoyt@wrda.net