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

Many Deputies have been contacted by people in their constituencies about scrambler and quad bikes being used in public places. This motion aims to tackle that scourge. The debate on this issue has been going on for years in communities and at joint policing committee, JPC, meetings and it has been raised many times on the floor of the Dáil. The Garda does not have the powers it needs to seize these bikes and take them out of our public spaces. It is in the interests of public safety that gardaí get the powers and training they need to tackle this problem.

We have all heard about somebody who was injured in a bad accident involving a quad or scrambler bike. In fact, a number of people have lost their lives in such incidents in the past few years. A month ago, there was an accident in my constituency, where a dedicated community worker was walking home one evening and was knocked down by a person driving one of these bikes on the footpath. She suffered serious injuries in the incident and I can only imagine how traumatic it was for her. This motion is about tackling those people who use scrambler and quad bikes in a reckless and dangerous manner. Previous Governments have not acted to protect communities that are plagued by these nuisance bikes. They are destroying football pitches for which many clubs fought hard. There are young children afraid to use their local park and people in many communities are kept awake night after night as the bikes are driven up and down the roads. Some are being used to transport drugs around estates. They are a nuisance and a danger.

Fianna Fáil has previously supported the need for legislation in this area. I hope its Members will support this motion. It is a chance to do something positive that will prevent further accidents, injuries and deaths. With any new power comes the need for resources. It must be compulsory for these vehicles to be registered with the national fleet database. The Road Safety Authority, RSA, needs to conduct a public information campaign on the dangers of these bikes and how they are not a suitable toy for children this Christmas. I hope the motion receives broad support across all parties and none. It will send a strong message to communities that we are serious about tackling this scourge.

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