Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Next is No. P00024/23 from Mr. Alexander-Marckus Edwards which relates to electric scooter safety standards and requirements. The petitioner refers to a recent press release stating that powered personal transportation, PPT, or electric scooters should conform to a weight limit, including battery, of 25 kg and a power limit of 500 W. The petitioner alleges that these limitations will make electric scooters considerably more dangerous. The lack of weight in the deck paired with a low-power motor will turn the front wheel into a fulcrum, which in turn will result in people hitting the roadway face first. Furthermore, the loss of safety features like lights, suspension, and wider tyres will occur to maintain a weight requirement of 25 kg. Technical safety features like ballasting circuits, overcharge protection and tracking technology can make scooters more unsafe. The requirement to maintain 500 W or less will make it nearly impossible to get up a hill. The weight requirement will also cause the likes of Bolt, Uber and Free Now to have to use older scooters, which in turn will increase safety risks.

The petitioner believes it is in the best interests of the Government to open a public debate and consult people from the e-scooter community regarding safety, speed, power and weight requirements for electric scooters and to take recommendations based on experience into consideration.

The case manager wrote to the Department of Transport and received a detailed reply which referenced the new Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023. The Act creates a new category of vehicle, namely, personal powered transporters, PPTs. It allows the Minister for Transport to regulate the use of PPTs and for technical specifications. Only e-scooters meeting the use and technical conditions in the Act and subsequent regulations will be legalised. The parameters, which include maximum continuous rated power output of up to 500 W, maximum net weight of 25 kg, inclusive of battery, and maximum design speed of up to 25 km/h, are not specific to e-scooters but apply to all PPTs. Only vehicles below these thresholds will be classed as PPTs. Vehicles exceeding the thresholds will continue to be illegal to use in public places.

As regards e-scooters regulations technical standards, e-scooters will not be legal for use on public roads until regulations for their construction, equipment and use are in place. The Department has prepared new regulations and changes to existing regulations to introduce e-scooters draft road traffic (electric scooter) regulations 2023, which will provide for: a maximum continuous rated power output of 400 W or less; a maximum net weight of 25 kg, batteries inclusive; a maximum design speed of 20 km/h or less; wheels with a minimum diameter of 200 mm; front and rear lights and reflectors; brakes and a bell; and a manufacturer’s plate certifying the power output, weight and design speed. The draft regulations have been notified to the European Commission for review under the mandatory technical regulations information system to ensure they comply with Single Market rules under EU Directive No. 2015/1535 before coming into effect. Other regulatory requirements are that the minimum user age on public roads will be 16, only single person use will be allowed and the use of e-scooters will not be permitted on motorways, footpaths or pedestrian areas. Accordingly, the power to mount kerbs will not be required.

The committee recommends that the correspondence from the Department of Transport be sent to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. Do members wish to comment? Is that agreed?