Results 1,641-1,660 of 1,737 for speaker:Noel Rock

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: It is straightforward. I agree with Deputy Catherine Murphy. It is a carrot and stick approach. The carrot is that we have governmental funding. The stick is that we hold people to standards and to account and make sure that they have proper processes in place. If they do not, then we take away that funding. That is the position the FAI is in right now. With regard to the funding of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I thank our guests for coming in today. This is an important issue of discussion. It is future-focused and relates to something we see happening right now on our roads, particularly in our cities. This exists and is real. There are many hundreds of e-vehicles, if not thousands, on our roads and it is therefore good that we have a proactive, rather than reactive, approach because it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: That is good. That is ticking the legal check box, just in case there are gardaí at the gates. E-scooters are obviously legal in private spaces and I understand that business and university campuses are considering trialling them. My own local university, Dublin City University, will be commencing a trial of them in the coming weeks. That is, of course, perfectly legal because they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: There are only the two of us here; Deputy MacSharry can go ahead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Mr. O'Leary referred to the legal grey area, saying, in effect, it does not exist. Let us dive into that. E-bicycles are obviously considered legal and road safe by the Department and are, in effect, treated like regular bicycles. What is the difference between an e-bicycle and an e-scooter? As Mr. McGinty will testify, in order for me to commence my journey on an e-scooter, I need to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Has such a case been upheld by a court?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I think, although I might be mistaken, that Ms Murdock spoke in her contribution about how e-scooters can reach 80 km/h. That was in one of the contributions, although I cannot remember which. E-bicycles can achieve the same so I am confused, frankly, at the distinction between the two that has been made to date domestically and the reluctance to group them into a similar category as other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Is that a tacit acknowledgement by the Department that road surfaces in Ireland are not the best?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I agree with Mr. O'Leary to an extent. Safety is a paramount concern. Given that these vehicles are already in use I feel we are coming at the same thing from different sides to an extent. Road safety is paramount for me, the Department and the Road Safety Authority, RSA. These vehicles are in use. There is somewhat of a reluctance to enforce actions against them. Mr. O’Leary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Absolutely. I am glad Ms Murdock agrees because I see the enabling of the use of electric scooters as complementing the safety of cyclists and that of scooter users as well. It puts an onus, focus and impetus on the idea of developing cycling infrastructure in a cohesive holistic way which to date has not happened. I do not know if Ms Murdock agrees with that point. There are many roads...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Absolutely, these are things that can be legislated for. One point that comes up regularly is the need for brake lights, which is a minimum.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Will the RSA's previous report form part of the consultation or does the consultation supersede the work it has done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I will go back to Mr. O'Leary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Do we have a timeline?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I agree. What happened to the individual from the Chairman's constituency is very regrettable. Unfortunately, it is a sad reality and fact of life, no matter the mode of transport there are accidents. This meeting is to tease out and investigate the issues around this mode of transport and to learn from other countries. Mistakes have been made. Paris is cited as one of the worst places...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I must point out that I would love to visit the RSA-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I wish to put on record that I would love to visit the RSA but, unfortunately, my scooter only has a certain range.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: We will make a field trip of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: I thank the witnesses for their time and engagement today. I had mentioned Paris in my contribution. It is a particularly egregious example. It is probably regarded as worst in class for implementing a scooter scheme. I notice Ms Murdoch nodding in agreement. Anyone looking at the international comparisons would recommend against doing it that way. Paris allowed every operator to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Powered Transportation: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Noel Rock: Is a committee delegation going to Copenhagen soon?