Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chean Comhairle. I welcome this Bill and the regulation of e-scooters. It is really important. We need some kind of structure and guidelines for users of e-scooters. The public is ahead of Government on this. Travelling through Dublin city, people are on scooters every day. They have decided they are using scooters so it is important Government regulates them and legislates for their use.

I have seen presentations from some companies in this area. There are big, glossy leaflets and the companies are making commitments and saying how much is in their bank balances. It is important that when these companies come to Ireland, they are not allowed to cherry-pick. They must commit to delivering nationwide and not just for Dublin. It was said to me that if one of these companies does not get Dublin, they will probably just leave the market. They will have no interest in the rest of the country. They have no intention of going to Limerick, Galway or Waterford. It is important the local authorities work together and ensure the companies are not allowed do that. They must commit to this project and ensure they deliver a service in all the urban settings across the country.

The NCBI, the Irish Wheelchair Association and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind recently issued a paper outlining their concerns. They identified the parking of e-scooters as an issue. That will be a huge challenge. Deputy Hourigan mentioned it earlier. She spoke much more eloquently than me. This is going to be a key make-or-break part of the project. If the parking methodology is not done right it will not work. It is very important the e-scooters are not allowed to become trip hazards and obstacles for those with disabilities. Navigating the city can be challenging enough for visually-impaired people without also throwing a load of scooters all over the city. Last October, Copenhagen made the decision to ban e-scooters from its streets after disabilities groups voiced concern. That came into effect in January. Copenhagen is a city that is open to different modes of transport and e-mobility, yet it has decided to knock this on the head. Thus there is a concern here. There is a view scooters are great, that they are exciting and that they are going to offer a great alternative. However, there is evidence enough there to suggest that may not be the case and we must introduce them very carefully. Local authorities will have to introduce their schemes cautiously. Dockless scooters and possibly dockless bikes tend to face more vandalism. They have been thrown into rivers and canals in other cities where they were introduced.

We know that in different cities there were issues with scooters and e-bikes all being thrown into various rivers, if there was no docking space. We do not want to see the River Liffey or the Grand Canal become a place for e-scooters and e-bikes. I understand that a company in Manchester faced so much vandalism, it decided it had to pull out of the scheme. It is important, when big companies come into the market promising the sun, moon and stars, that local authorities are not overly dazzled by the size of some of them. As I said, I have attended a few presentations, and it all sounds fantastic and looks as if every angle has been covered, but the reality is international evidence suggests that sharing schemes may not work here. That is something local authorities will have to take on and do so very carefully because it is important that these companies have a strong local connection. Many of these big companies will tender for various contracts to deliver the e-mobility schemes across the cities, but if they do not have a local connection it will impact on how they deliver the service and how they respond to difficulties that may arise with the scheme.

I strongly agree that e-scooters should not be allowed on footpaths. This legislation will not allow that to happen. Footpaths should be safe from e-scooters because it can be very frightening for older people to see someone on a scooter flying towards them. They are also concerned that if they go around a corner they will get knocked over by a scooter that is going at 15 km/h or 20 km/h on a footpath. It is very dangerous. Many older people have said to me that they do not have any serious objection to e-scooters, but they are nervous about the idea of scooters on footpaths, breaking traffic lights and so on. There has to be regulation and a system of fines in place to ensure there is a consequence if the rules are not adhered to. There must be fines for those on e-scooters who use footpaths. If they use footpaths, they have to face the consequences because it is not acceptable, just as it is not acceptable that adults cycle bikes on footpaths. Some regulation has to be in order.

There are areas that should be geofenced from e-scooters. A previous speaker mentioned that shared space does not work and I fully agree with this. There are areas, for example, in Dublin city, that will have to be geofenced to ensure e-scooters cannot be used in those shared spaces. Grand Canal Dock is one such area that should not have e-scooters in it. I have received a number of reports about e-scooter users racing through Grand Canal Dock, taking a shortcut or looking to fly through it, causing accidents, worrying residents living there and people who are just walking around enjoying the atmosphere. Sharing that space is not going to work with a scooter travelling at 15 km/h, 20 km/h or 25 km/h. It just will not work. Certain pedestrianised areas, such as Grafton Street and Grand Canal Dock, should be geofenced to ensure that e-scooters cannot fly up and down them.

I have previously raised the issue of cyclists with Dublin City Council. Cyclists should not be allowed to use Grand Canal Dock either as there are such a large number of them and they cause a major amount of stress and injuries to residents and people socialising in the area. If we introduce scooters, it will become an area that will almost be not welcoming to pedestrians. E-scooters do not work in shared spaces and, in certain settings and neither do bicycles. We have to ensure that the new sharing scheme geofences certain areas so e-scooter users and cyclists are not allowed terrorise people in areas such as Grand Canal Dock. Adding e-scooters to that environment is of no benefit to anyone. It is not a huge area and people can move around the Grand Canal Dock area legally and safely, if that is what they wish to do.

This legislation is important. I do not have an e-scooter but I think I will get one. I have no doubt the Acting Chairman would look great flying around on a e-scooter. When he gets too old for his motorbike, he might try an e-scooter. This legislation may not be as good as the hype is building it up to be, but there are many concerns. We have to take into consideration the views of the Irish Wheelchair Association, the NCBI and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, which I mentioned earlier, and whose members made a very fair and open statement. We need to take their concerns into consideration because it is difficult enough to navigate the city without adding all these obstacles. Where e-scooters will be docked and parked will also be crucial and will make or break the plan.

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