Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak about e-scooters, which have become a common sight on the streets of Dublin. It is important to properly classify these vehicles as their current status, which ranks them closer to cars than bikes, puts them in an impractical legal limbo that has clearly been widely disregarded, given that we often see dozens of them on our streets at a time. Some people have called for an outright ban on these devices, while others such as the RSA claim that an outright ban would be counterintuitive and impractical. As legislators, it is our job to work towards what is most fair and workable. An outright ban is likely to be ignored. The Government has shown that even regulating scrambler bikes in city parks is beyond it. Sinn Féin does not support a ban on e-scooters. They are already on our roads and we should be doing what we can to ensure they are used in a manner which is safe and considerate of other road users.

If, however, we pursue the type of regulation contained in the Bill, the House will leave itself open to accusations of treating some road users differently to others. The system of fines in the Bill is completely at odds with the fixed-rate charge offences issued to cyclists. While riding a bike without reasonable consideration results in a €40 fine issued by a garda on the spot, an e-scooter user would be liable for a class D fine, which would rise to a class C fine on a second offence. Instead of a €40 fine, one would receive a maximum of €1,000 or €2,500 in addition to a court appearance. This is like using a hammer to crack a nut. I do not want to prejudge the public consultation process, but it seems fair to incorporate e-scooters into a fixed-charge system. Similarly, e-scooter users would be legally obliged to wear a helmet or high-visibility clothing where bicycle users are not. While all road users should make every effort to be visible for their own safety and that of others, we need to ensure a level of fairness.

In the age of climate change, we cannot simply disregard attempts to take more people out of fossil-fuel-dependent modes of transport. Fewer cars on our roads means less congestion and pollution, which makes sense. I am not suggesting that the Irish motoring community will suddenly switch to e-scootersen masse, but every little bit helps. Consideration should also be given to age restrictions and other restrictions regarding which roads are suitable for e-scooter use. That is why it is important to have all the facts available to us before rushing to judgment. We often take a risk in legislating hastily for new innovations, which does not necessarily result in good legislation. The most prudent course of action, therefore, is to await the publication of the public consultation on powered personal transporters.

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