Get a move on! State is urged to speed up e-scooter regulation
THE Government has been urged not to put too many barriers in place for those using electric scooters to commute.
Transport Minister Shane Ross has launched a public consultation on e-scooters, following a report by the Road Safety Authority, recommending that electric scooters become legal on Irish roads.
The new report has recommended regulating their use, saying they could help tackle our greenhouse gas emissions.
It also calls for the introduction of clear safety standards, along with user-training and the promotion of safety equipment.
It is estimated that over 800 e-scooters are currently on the roads in Dublin alone, yet they remain unregulated.
The report from the RSA, which has been submitted to Mr Ross, also said anecdotal evidence suggested injuries on e-scooters are generally minor. Support: MEP Ciarán Cuffe
Overall, the document stated that electric scooters could reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and replace less sustainable types of transport if they’re used in the right way.
The study says attempts to ban e-scooters would be ‘counterproductive’ and ‘difficult to enforce’, and that its review of other jurisdictions provided ‘some support’ for clarification on ‘who exactly is permitted to use different devices’, including the setting of age limits and licence requirements.
‘In most countries, there is increased uptake by users, regardless of the legal situation, and little enforcement of any regulations that exist, and hence an outright ban would be both counterintuitive and impractical,’ the report read, adding that ‘a controlled and considered roll-out to mitigate against potential negative safety implications’ was necessary.
The report said e-scooters could even help the State hit its targets for the reduction of greenhouse emissions, and called an outright ban on powered transporters ‘counterintuitive’ to that goal.
‘It is clear they have potential to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and promote active travel if they are used in the right ways in place of less sustainable modes of transport, such as the private motor vehicle,’ it added.
On Newstalk’s The Pat Kenny Show yesterday, Green Party MEP for Dublin Ciarán Cuffe said e-scooters can help tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
‘If you look at ten e-scooters going down the street and think, “They could be ten people in a car”, he said, “it is much better to have them on scooters than in cars – particularly in our town and city centres.’
Mr Cuffe urged Mr Ross to look at what is best practice abroad, adding, ‘Ultimately we should be encouraging these and not putting too many restrictions on them’.
He said the Government should back up its promises and get behind the ‘drive to low-carbon travel’.
‘We have seen a little bit of a delay,’ he said.
‘I don’t see Shane Ross frothing at the mouth to get these on the road and I think they should be encouraged – along with walking and regular cycling.
‘I would always stress the importance of improving the environment for people to walk from A to B and back again and also for people who use a bike. I think the safer we can make our roads . . . the more it will encourage lowcarbon mobility.’
‘They reduce congestion’