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Research Matters

A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service
Northern Ireland Assembly logo
Research Matters
Northern Ireland Assembly logo
Research Matters

Infrastructure Blog Archive

Here you will find an archive of Infrastructure Blog articles published before 1 May 2022, divided into their relevant categories.

Energy

Image of wind farm in front of a setting sun

Is the sun setting on Northern Ireland renewable electricity?

There was considerable growth in the development of renewable electricity over the previous Northern Ireland Assembly mandate. Changes to renewable electricity support may impact the ability to achieve similar levels…

Infrastructure

An image showing a tablet in use

An overview of the Digital Divide in Northern Ireland

This blog article provides a brief overview of the ‘Digital Divide’. Drawing on the Northern Ireland experience, it explores key characteristics of the Digital Divide, as well as the…
An image showing a street charger in Belfast

Are electric cars a realistic alternative to petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland today?

The UK Government has a vision where almost all cars and vans on UK roads will be electric by 2050. Encouragingly, the market for electric cars is growing year-on-year,…
An image showing an electric car charging in the street

Ready for the journey? Public attitudes to electric and ultra-low emission vehicles

The UK Government is encouraging drivers to buy zero emission battery electric vehicles to accelerate the decarbonisation of transport. It will phase out the sale of new petrol and…

Transport

The border on Killeen School Road, near Newry (Image: Oliver Dixon, under Creative Commons)

Is road safety worse in the border region?

Death and serious injury from road traffic collisions (RTCs) are tragic events bringing untold pain and suffering on families. At the same time, through better understanding of what causes…
Artist’s Impression of Belfast’s proposed ‘Transport Hub’ which has already received EU TEN-T funding during the planning phase and would have been eligible to compete for money as it moved into the capital phase.

How can the Department for Infrastructure fund delivery of its infrastructure pipeline?

Northern Ireland’s infrastructure development was neglected for decades. There are now plans in place to rectify this but how this will be funded remains uncertain….
A look back at the dualling of the A1; the main route between Belfast-Newry-Dublin. The new north-bound carriageway is on the left and carrying two-way traffic while the new south-bound carriageway is under construction on the right. The road opened on 23 November 2006.

Has transport investment been a priority for the Northern Ireland Executive? A comparison of transport expenditure across the UK

Overall public spending per capita is higher in Northern Ireland than in any of the other UK regions. However, the proportion which is spent on transport is lower….

Water

Mullygarry, Fermanagh; after thirty-five consecutive days of rain in 2009, the water levels on Lough Erne rose to 158ft above sea level, the highest since records began in 1956 (image Dean Molyneaux, under Creative Commons).

Managing Flood risk in Northern Ireland: Are we prepared?

Prolonged heavy rainfall over the winter of 2015 has shown how devastating flooding can be to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. With predictions that localised flooding will become an…