An unprecedented €360 million (£320 million) is being earmarked for cycling and walking projects in Ireland.

The pledge has been made as part of the country’s coalition agreement to form a new government, which includes the Green Party for the first time.

The programme for government says 10% of transport’s capital budget will be spent on cycling projects and 10% more on pedestrian infrastructure. This must be delivered or under construction by 2024.

The document says “Necessary improvements in climate impact, quality of life, air quality and physical and mental health demand that every effort is made by the government to make active travel and public transport better and more accessible.”

At the weekend Ireland’s Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan (pictured) told the country’s Mail on Sunday, “Why not be ambitious? Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Limerick should be like Copenhagen and Amsterdam.”