Ms Joanne Murphy:

I express my appreciation to the committee for allowing me to speak. I also thank the NCBI for its work on this. I might not be able to stay for the entire meeting because I am caring for my son and he has needs that may need attending to. I just wanted to give my own experience of somebody living with sight loss and also as somebody with a son with autism and an assistance dog. I am lucky my sight loss is not huge at the moment but even so, it still has a major impact on life every time I go out. Once I step outside the door it is into a dynamic, ever-changing environment and one needs a very high level of confidence to negotiate around the environment if one has a disability. We rely on footpaths being maintained and clear, audio signals at road crossings, contrasting steps and people observing traffic lights. All of these are essential to our independence.

The footpaths are our space and the only space we have to get around our community. If electric scooters are allowed to use the same space as us - the footpath - our space will be compromised. There is no other environment where we would expect a person to interact with an electric device that has the potential to move at a great speed, expecting to share that environment safely and in an unrestricted way. It is important to remember that throughout the country not all footpaths are the same. In smaller towns and villages with medieval centres, footpaths can be quite narrow and they are a problem in any circumstances, even to ordinary pedestrians.

Adding an e-scooter into those environments compromises the pedestrian entirely. I emphasise that when pedestrians are on the footpath and there are e-scooters, bikes or anything else there as well, then the pedestrian is compromised. Similarly shared spaces such as parks are greatly important for us. They allow us time to socialise and to enjoy time together. E-scooters should not be allowed in parks without restrictions. We have had several incidents of near misses with them locally, and it is a recipe for disaster.

To give an outline of the situation when we are out walking with our assistance dog, and the committee may not understand this, the dog is always looking for a route that runs in a straight line. When people are weaving in and out of our environment, criss-crossing with e-scooters, bikes, or things like that, that throws the dog off and it has to continually recalibrate where it is going. The dog regards itself and the person it is assisting as one unit, so there are two people involved in our case and the dog it is trying to work out things in the context of our position in the space where people may be weaving in and out. Equally, as Ms Kennedy said, the dog cannot hear the e-scooters, and neither can I. I also cannot see them. E-scooters can come right up next to me, right in front of the dog, and then it is thrown completely. I argue strongly for speed limit restrictions on e-scooters and the use of geo-sensing mechanisms to ensure that there are some restrictions put on them in some areas for everyone's safety. I say that because there is an issue here with the safety of those using the e-scooters as well. The balance on those machines is not great, so I imagine there would be some impact if the riders knocked into someone.

Equally, on several occasions in the last two years bikes and e-scooters have come close to the assistance dog and passed by very quickly, and that has stunned her and stopped her from working. In one incident, an e-scooter went into the back of the dog. It was not a huge impact, but it was enough to stop her and she would not work. She refused the jacket for two months. That was an enormous setback for us. Not only was it not possible for us to go out, but my son's safety was compromised when we were out because he did not have his assistance dog. There is also the issue for us concerning whether it is possible or safe to rehabilitate the dog. There is also the worry about whether something like that might happen again. It was that incident that really motivated me to have an input on this legislation. There is also a massive financial cost incurred by the charity if it is necessary to replace the dog. In addition, it is impossible to know if the next dog will bond or how much work will be involved in that respect. There is much uncertainty. An incident like the one I described could, therefore, change someone's life dramatically. In that context, I reiterate that e-scooters should be banned from using footpaths, speed limits should be imposed on them and their use should be restricted in areas of mixed use.

The other aspect that should be considered is that incidents like the one I spoke of bring people into personal conflict with complete strangers. There is a risk of injury to people from being bumped into by the e-scooter and, indeed, a risk for the rider of the e-scooter as well. Equally, that raises the question of whether such a conflict is what people might be able for or wish to involved in on a given day. We have experienced a great deal of such conflict in the past two years, but before that as well. People might sometimes shout when the dog is taken in somewhere, and we must consider the impact such experiences have on people. It is hugely wearing psychologically on me as the carer, and the significant impact on the people with autism means that it can completely throw them. It can have a huge impact on their sense of well-being and their interactions with the local community.

That is where I am at in this situation. My questions on this matter concern who is going to implement this and how it is going to be implemented in the context of the Garda and enforcement. I thank the committee again for the invitation to contribute.