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To facilitate the maintenance and
development of an effective and efficient transport network.
Northern Ireland is served by a
transport system based principally upon a road network. The regional
road network joins the cities and larger towns, the ports and
airports and thus provides main linkages with the Republic of
Ireland and Great Britain. The main road network is clearly To
facilitate the an asset contributing to the efficiency of the local
economy and reducing, to some extent, the maintenance and effects of
peripherality both within Northern Ireland and Europe. The local
road network serves development of an the countryside and links the
small towns and villages with larger settlements. This network
provides a high degree of accessibility.
Given the importance of the
transportation system to the economy and life of Northern Ireland,
the Department will protect the main elements of the system and
facilitate its upgrading, subject to appropriate planning and
environmental considerations, including visual amenity and the
natural and man-made environment. Where necessary, improvements and
extensions to the transportation network will be added as resources
permit. The relationship between the use of land and the transport
system will be taken into account in the preparation of development
plans and in the control of development. It is desirable to protect
the system from deterioration and loss of efficiency and to improve
accessibility and public safety - see policy
PSU5.
It is Government policy to
encourage forms of development which make people less reliant on the
private car and this will be reflected in the preparation of
development plans. New homes, shops and workplaces should be planned
and sited in ways which assist people to reach them by public
transport, bicycle or foot. In particular there may be opportunities
for innovative approaches to public transport in rural areas. Where
appropriate, priority measures may be introduced to improve public
transport. | 
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