Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I do.

I have been raising this issue by way of parliamentary questions for a year now. The Minister, as well as every other Member who represents an urban constituency, will be well aware of the explosion in popularity of this form of transport in Ireland and across Europe. There is no question that this is the way of the future for environmentally sustainable transport and for integration with public transport. I tabled a parliamentary question in July 2018 in respect of electric scooters and the Minister replied to the effect that governing legislation is currently in place for scooters that are powered by mechanical or electrical means. However, when other Deputies posed similar questions subsequently, the Minister's answer changed. It is quite clear that these vehicles exist in a legislative grey area. When it comes to taxation, they are, in effect, impossible to tax. Members of An Garda Síochána are unclear as to what to do with these vehicles. Due to the absence of legislation on these vehicles in the context of the Road Traffic Acts, local authorities have had to form their own views on them. Since I tabled this matter last week, Dublin City Council has made its views known. It believes that until legislation is enacted, these vehicles should be rendered illegal via a bye-law.

What is the plan here? It has been obvious for some time that something would have to be done about electric scooters but nothing has been done to date. It is clear that new legislation would have to be introduced or the Road Traffic Acts amended in order to bring these vehicles into line, legally. We need to set down clear regulations on speed, pedestrian safety and their use on footpaths and roads and in cycle lanes but none of this has been done. It is regrettable that we are being reactionary in this matter rather than being proactive. There are over 3,000 of these vehicles in use in Dublin right now and that number is growing by the week. A number of high street retailers are now selling electronic scooters and they are no longer a niche, minority vehicle. They are growing in popularity and will continue to do so.

What is the Minister's plan? What are the timelines here? What kind of assurances can we give to people using these vehicles and how can we integrate them into a fully functioning transport network? Increasing numbers of people are using bicycles, buses and trains but how do we integrate scooters into the mix? We have ambitious plans for BusConnects, a metro system and so on . Scooters are particularly useful in the context of the final mile of any journey. People can use our high-speed and high-frequency public transport network and then use their scooters to get to a particular place such as, for example, Leinster House. They can get off the metro or the Luas and use their electric scooters for the final mile. In my view, electric scooters should be treated in the same way as electric bicycles, which is how it works in other European countries. That is the direction in which we should go but I look forward to hearing the Minister's views on the matter.

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