Electric scooters and mopeds should have a place on our roads
E-mopeds are fun, practical and emissions-free, so why are there so many challenges to their use in Ireland, asks Geraldine Herbert
NEWS that tomorrow marks the beginning of Phase 2 of Ireland’s roadmap to recovery means more of us will be returning to our pre-Covid working lives.
Many will relish the end of Zoom meetings and happily swap endless conference calls for the collaboration and camaraderie found in the workplace.
But as the pandemic continues to transform and reshape every aspect of life, fears of sharing public transport, coupled with the desire for safer private transport, will force many to reconsider their commutes.
One of the great positives of the lockdown was the increase in cycling and plans for long-overdue cycling infrastructure are finally being fast-tracked. But not all commutes are suitable for bikes — those with journeys in excess of 10km may be less likely to view cycling as a single solution. While seasoned cyclists may scoff at such distances, those new to cycling may not be so keen.
Across Europe, electric scooters and mopeds are a key part of the commuting mix, providing a multimodal transport approach and bridging the gap between bikes and cars.
Despite being able to buy an e-scooter in Ireland, they cannot be used legally on our roads. Legislation governing motorised vehicles defines e-scooters as mechanically propelled vehicles (MPVs) and therefore stipulates they must be taxed, insured and the driver must have a licence to use them but it is not currently possible to tax or insure e-scooters.
A report commissioned by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) recommended they should be permitted under certain conditions. This was followed by a two-month consultation period but, as it stands, e-scooters are still illegal to use.
Electric moped-users are required to be licenced, insured, taxed and helmets are mandatory. Fun and practical, they are also simple to charge as the battery is removable and can be charged using a normal three-pin socket. With ranges varying from 30km up to 100km, they are suitable for long commutes.
So why are e-mopeds a niche option? Shane Mullarkey from Lion Urban Mobility launched a range of electric mopeds last October. He argued there are many unnecessary challenges when trying to establish an electric moped culture in Ireland.
“The vast majority of countries in mainland Europe allow you to drive a moped if you have a full car driving licence. This is not possible here,” he said.
In Ireland, it is required to complete 16 hours of Initial Basic Training (IBT), a course that teaches basic riding skills to learner motorcyclists. According to the RSA, while the training requirements differ in particular countries, generally there is a requirement to take some form of training across the EU. With speeds of up to 45kmh, any training that promotes safety for people on mopeds has to be viewed as a positive for the rider and all road users.
Another barrier to ownership, according to Mullarkey, is the lack of government support.
“Electric mopeds do not qualify for any government grants or incentives, unlike electric bikes and electric cars,” he said.
A spokesperson for Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland confirmed there are no plans to include them in the future. This seems extraordinary given these vehicles could make a significant contribution to the 2030 target for emission-free vehicles.
In addition, this seems inconsistent with the Government’s current policy to support plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). These vehicles generally only have a 50km all-electric range.
The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment told the
Sunday Independent: “Supports have been targeted at plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as these are the most widely used and will have the greatest impact on the decarbonisation of private transport.”
Sales figures would suggest these vehicles are far from widely used, with a mere 1,346 PHEVs and only 3,444 all-electric cars bought in 2019.
The lack of support is not the only issue around the use of mopeds. Some are concerned that any increase in their popularity may be accompanied by encroachment on cycling infrastructure.
Kevin Carter of the Dublin Commuter Coalition believes that while electric mopeds would have a positive impact on congestion and pollution, the difficulty lies in where they fit in the transport mix.
“They certainly have a place, it’s just a case of keeping them safe from cars and keeping pedestrians and cyclists safe from them,” he said.
Key to road safety is lower speed limits for shared roads. The proposal to lower the speed limits in Dublin city from 50kmh to 30kmh as the default speed limit on all roads is a very positive step and one that should be replicated across the country.
Decades of bad planning in Dublin and many of our major cities and a lack of meaningful investment in public transport has left a legacy of long commutes.
The impact of Covid-19 has been to make the car more desirable while the collapse of oil prices has made electric vehicles less attractive — both of which are bad news to any government committed to reducing emissions.
The pandemic has highlighted many issues within our cities and our transport network but it has also shone a torch on the inertia of government when it comes to green alternatives. Electric scooters are a case in hand, despite a broad consensus to make them legal they remain unregulated. The lack of support for electric mopeds is another. While it is government policy to ban fossil fuels by 2030, no incentive is offered to a zero-emission vehicle that takes up a fraction of the road space of a car.
The pandemic crisis demands a new and immediate response, the time for commissioning reports and pilot schemes has passed — commuters want real options, not hollow words and empty promises.
‘Electric mopeds do not qualify for any incentives’